Plaza Towers owner charged with additional charges for lying when buying firearms

Plaza Towers owner Marco Denis was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on charges of illegally possessing eight firearms and lying about his criminal record when he purchased two of those weapons.

The 49-year-old is the registered agent listed in the Missouri Secretary of State’s business database for Springfield Property LLC, a company that offers commercial and retail space for lease in Springfield, including Plaza Towers at the corner of East Sunshine Street and Glenstone Avenue. In addition to the charges included in the indictment, he now faces six felony charges in Greene County after being arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and domestic battery and is also charged with tampering with evidence.

The indictment alleges that Denis was in possession of two shotguns, five pistols and a revolver between December 17, 2020, and July 16, 2024. These possessions were unlawful because he had previously been convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery against a person with whom he had a child in common after pleading guilty in 2003.

The federal charge is based on the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, which was amended in 1996 to prohibit the possession of firearms by people convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense and, in particular, the receipt of any firearm or ammunition that was shipped or transported in interstate or international commerce. According to previous News-Leader reporting, none of the guns found in Denis’ possession were manufactured in Missouri, meaning they would have had to travel through interstate or international commerce to reach him.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, this indictment supersedes a federal criminal complaint with the addition of two counts of making a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer when purchasing two guns. In each case, Denis allegedly reported that he had not been convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense.

Facing additional crimes in Greene County

After being arrested on July 14, Denis was charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty to all of these charges. The probable cause statement filed in Greene County Circuit Court accuses Denis of kidnapping a woman he had a previous relationship with and driving to Kimberling City, where his boat was docked. After taking the woman to a secluded cove by boat, he repeatedly assaulted her and threw her into the water. The victim reported losing consciousness three times due to Denis’ blows, according to police.

Upon returning to Springfield, the victim was able to flee Denis’ car and was taken to Springfield Police Department headquarters by nearby witnesses. According to court documents, she suffered serious injuries.

Further: Plaza Towers owner arrested after incident that left woman with serious injuries

Denis was recently released from the Greene County Jail after posting $150,000 cash bail on Aug. 20 with the conditions that he remain under house arrest and the prosecutor retain his passport.

However, in an amended felony complaint, he is charged with three additional felony counts, all for allegedly tampering with physical evidence after his arrest. According to the document, Denis, acting in concert with another person, is accused of destroying an iPhone, an Apple watch and altering a Visa Signature card for “the purpose of impairing its availability in an official proceeding or investigation” between July 14 and July 26.

Marta Mieze covers local government issues for the News-Leader. Do you have comments, suggestions or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Plaza Towers owner indicted by grand jury for illegal gun possession