Joseph W. Flees

Award-Winning Criminal Defense Attorney Confronting the Strongest Charges for the St. Louis Metro

When people in St. Louis City and the surrounding suburbs are charged with the most serious state and federal crimes, they reach out to Joseph W. Flees II of Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C. for help. For over 10 years, Mr. Flees has advised and advocated for clients charged with crimes ranging from drug trafficking to possession of CSAM and murder. He is licensed to practice in the following courts:

• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
• State of Missouri
• U.S.C.A for the Armed Forces

Mr. Flees’ legal career began in the Army as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corp. Over his four years in the JAG Corp, he served as both a prosecutor and defense. While stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana (now known as Fort Johnson), he also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, handling cases involving civilians on the base.

After leaving the military, Mr. Flees worked for two years as Assistant Prosecutor for Christian County, Missouri, where he focused on cases involving sex crimes, crimes against children, and weapons crimes. In 2015, he entered private practice, first as a civil litigator, then joining Frank, Juengel, and Radefeld, Attorneys at Law (now known as Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C.), where he focused exclusively on criminal law. In 2020, Mr. Flees became partner at Frank & Juengel.

Award and Honors

Among the recognitions Mr. Flees has received for his work:

• Named among National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, 2019
• Named in Super Lawyers Rising Stars lists for Missouri and Kansas, 2016-17
• Named one of Missouri’s Top Ten Best Attorneys by American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys, 2016

Notable Case Results

Here are a few examples of high-profile case successes by Mr. Flees:

• The client was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Nay who was charged with ten counts of possessing CSAM (child pornography) on his computer. At trial, Mr. Flees vigorously cross-examined every prosecution witness to argue that the prosecution had no evidence the officer knew he had illegal material on his computer. Once the prosecution rested, he moved for a dismissal based on the fact that prosecutors had failed to establish any element of charges. The judge granted the motion. As a result, the client was able to regain his security clearance and get his record expunged, restoring his career and reputation.
• A St. Francois County man charged with 48 counts of possession of CSAM was facing up to 728 years in prison if convicted of all charges. Mr. Flees was part of the defense team that won dismissal of 47 of the charges and kept the client out of prison, instead securing a sentence of five years of probation.
• A member of the Air Force Security Services was accused of raping a former fellow service member. Though the prosecution was confident that its DNA evidence proved the client’s guilt, Mr. Flees showed the jury that other plausible explanations existed for the DNA found on the alleged victim. He also exposed inconsistencies in the statements by the alleged victim and other prosecution witnesses. After trial, the jury deliberated for 30 minutes before returning a verdict of not guilty.