No. 8: Former Plaza Towers owner faces legal saga

Marco Denis, who formerly owned the 130,000-square-foot, 10-story Plaza Towers Center, was in and out of criminal courtrooms this year.

At press time, Denis was incarcerated in the Phelps County Jail, according to the website of the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department. With a case management conference scheduled for mid-January, he faces state charges including Class A felony first-degree domestic assault, Class D felony second-degree domestic assault, Class B felony first-degree kidnapping and three counts of Class E felony evidence tampering, according to Missouri online court records.

In 2020, Denis bought Plaza Towers Center and nearby Jimm’s Steakhouse and Pub building for $13.3 million, following the 2019 death of longtime owner Errett Sechler Jr.

Four years later, Denis’ improvements to Plaza Towers took a back seat when he was arrested and jailed due to state allegations of domestic assault and kidnapping. In August last year, a federal grand jury indicted Denis on suspicion of possessing eight firearms illegally and lying about his criminal record when purchasing two of the weapons.

Plaza Towers was sold in a trustee’s sale earlier this year after OMB Bank sued Springfield Property LLC, Denis’s company that owned the office complex, to start foreclosure proceedings. Trent Overhue bought the building in a courthouse auction in April, paying $13.4 million.

On Dec. 8, Denis took a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, pleading guilty to two counts of amended federal gun and tax charges.

The indictment filed by prosecutors for the plea agreement accuses Denis of knowingly possessing eight firearms despite a 2003 third-degree misdemeanor domestic assault conviction. Prosecutors also accused Denis of falsely declaring just less than $65,000 in personal income on his 2023 tax return, despite receiving additional income.

Prosecutors say Denis’ federal gun charge is a Class C felony punishable by not more than 15 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine and no more than three years of supervised release. The charge of filing a false tax return is a Class E felony punishable with no more than three years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine and no more than one year of supervised release. 

The 20-page plea deal outlines facts underlying Denis’ plea agreement, including an accounting of some $57,000 in rental income Denis earned in 2023 through Springfield Property. Prosectors said Denis failed to report the rental income to the IRS. 

At press time, a sentencing hearing date did not yet appear in online court dockets. 

Denis’ defense attorney, Joseph Passanise of Wampler & Passanise Law Office PC, said Dec. 8 Denis’ legal team has been working on a plea agreement for some time. 

“Marco was very appreciative of the U.S. Attorney’s offer,” said Joseph Passanise of Wampler & Passanise Law Office PC, on the day of the plea agreement. “He wanted to get the matter behind him and accept responsibility for his conduct today.”