JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Moberly, Mo. man has been charged by a federal grand jury with carjacking.According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, on April 28, 2026, Brian Nicholas Koch, 28, drove his vehicle, which had been heavily damaged, to the Jefferson City Memorial Airport in Callaway County. He abandoned his vehicle in the parking lot of the airport and approached the victim, who was in her Toyota 4Runner. Koch threatened the victim with a starter pistol and a large machete in his attempt to steal her vehicle. The victim was able to drive away.
Law enforcement arrived minutes later and apprehended Koch.Koch recently completed a Missouri prison sentence for first-degree robbery and was on pre-trial bond in a separate case for the class B felony of committing violence to an employee of the Missouri Department of Corrections.The allegations contained in the indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the allegations must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Komoroski and is being investigated by the Jefferson City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.Operation Take Back AmericaThis case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).