No. 10: Plaza Towers owner charged with multiple crimes, including kidnapping

Behind a new facade at the landmark Plaza Towers building was an unfolding story of the owner who, over the course of a couple of months beginning in July, was charged with multiple state and federal crimes.

Marco Denis is president and owner of Springfield Property LLC, which owns Plaza Towers. He was initially arrested and jailed in mid-July amid Greene County Circuit Court charges of domestic assault and kidnapping, in which he’s accused of allegedly taking a victim to his boat in Kimberling City and severely beating her. In August, Denis was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly possessing eight firearms illegally and lying about his criminal record when buying two of the weapons. In the indictment, prosecutors said Denis was not legally allowed to possess firearms after he was convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic assault in the third degree in 2003. The firearms were discovered by law enforcement officers in the course of the investigation of the July charges.

The venerable building and its owner – Denis bought Plaza Towers in 2020 – had been in the news earlier in the year as he touted the multimillion-dollar renovations, which included a new off-white and dark gray exterior along with upgraded spaces indoors. The building and its services remain operational.

Denis on Aug. 29 was denied bond and required to remain in custody by U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush, according to records on file with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Rush noted Denis’ criminal history, including the pending domestic assault and kidnapping charges, as well as a prior conviction involving a sex offense, a charge involving domestic violence and a prior conviction for violation of a protective order.

“Based on all the foregoing, the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is a danger to the community,” Rush wrote in his decision. “Based on the evidence presented at the [Aug. 23 detention] hearing, there are no conditions the court can impose that would reasonably assure the safety of other persons or the community.”

Springfield Business Journal reported in September that Denis’ attorneys in the criminal cases have declined multiple interview requests. An article at the time said Stacie Calhoun Bilyeu is representing Denis in the federal and county cases with co-counsel Teresa Grantham, according to court records.