The Republican running a long-shot campaign for Congress in St. Louis has been pulled into an Idaho defamation case brought by the executive chairman of a critical minerals company that was once valued in the billions.
Paul Berry III, who is challenging incumbent Wesley Bell, was added to the lawsuit last month. The case was first filed in July against prominent St. Louis attorney Al Watkins and his ex-wife, Carolina Diaz-Silva.
Berry’s addition is the latest turn in a bitter dispute rooted in a failed deal that would have brought urban mining firm Evolution Metals and Technology to St. Louis in early 2025. The plan called for William David Wilcox’s Florida-based Evolution Metals LLC to buy St. Louis-based Critical Mineral Recovery, merge with a Chicago-based SPAC, and take the combined company public as Evolution Metals and Technology. Watkins was CMR’s attorney and was set to become the new firm’s chief legal officer, with the company aiming for a NASDAQ listing at a $6 billion valuation.
That deal fell apart. Watkins says it unraveled when he learned Wilcox owned a similarly named Evolution Metals Corporation that had been sued by an investor and a former executive, both claiming they were owed money. That discovery prompted what Watkins calls a “deep dive” into Wilcox, which surfaced arrests for DUI and for violating a protective order sought by the mother of his child, with whom Wilcox is locked in a long-running paternity case.
Watkins argues in court filings that those findings, plus other unspecified “significant findings,” support his claim that “the actions of Wilcox are part of a large multi-billion dollar securities scheme.” Asked about that phrase, Watkins offered a colorful dodge: “Festering worms are often better left in the can until they can be properly sauteed and seasoned. The can in question is wall-to-wall worms and they aren’t going anywhere.”
Berry declined to comment on the lawsuit. Neither John Arrastia, attorney for Evolution Metals and Technology, nor Michael Pogue, who represents Wilcox in the defamation case, responded to requests for comment. EMAT went public in January without CMR. Its shares climbed past $20, then slid to $1.41, with its market value now below $1 billion.
Watkins says that while researching Wilcox in 2025, he learned of a Peruvian domestic worker employed by Wilcox at his Idaho home. Concerned about the woman’s wellbeing — believing her to be in the country illegally and Wilcox to be dangerous — he shared the information with Diaz-Silva, who is also from Peru and speaks Spanish. Motivated by concern for a fellow Peruvian, she called the worker and had a brief conversation, almost entirely in Spanish.
In July, Wilcox sued Watkins and Diaz-Silva for defamation over that call, which he described in court documents as defamatory. His filings accused Watkins of acting out of “animus.” Watkins has countered that the substance of the call was true and that Wilcox has not identified any actual damages resulting from it.
Now Berry enters the picture. The businessman and great-nephew of Chuck Berry has previously run for St. Louis County executive and lieutenant governor. He defeated fellow businessman Andrew Jones in the August primary to face Bell — a steep climb in a district where 70 to 80 percent of voters reliably back Democrats.
The lawsuit alleges that this past August, Berry called the Blaine County, Idaho, sheriff’s office hoping to get Wilcox arrested for “trafficking” Peruvian immigrants living in the country illegally. The sheriff’s office called him back a short time later.
Transcripts of two calls are attached to Wilcox’s latest petition. According to the transcripts, a caller identifying himself as a tipster and an “investigator on this matter” told the sheriff’s office that two “illegal Peruvian aliens” were about to arrive at the department for a custody exchange involving Wilcox’s child. “I have a tip for you guys for a crime that is literally going to be occurring at the Sheriff’s Department, and I know it sounds a little crackpot,” Berry says at the start of the first call, according to the transcript. He goes on to describe the domestic worker and another person as “illegal Peruvian aliens that are being trafficked by William David Wilcox Jr.” An officer told Berry the matter was outside what the sheriff typically handles and suggested he contact ICE.
Wilcox alleges Watkins “recruited” Berry to make the call, timed to a custody exchange between Wilcox and the mother of his child, in an effort to have Wilcox arrested and his childcare disrupted. The suit accuses Watkins and Berry of a civil conspiracy to commit defamation, and claims Berry’s call caused Wilcox reputational harm, humiliation, and distress.
Watkins denies coordinating with Berry in any way. He also argues Berry’s statements to sheriff’s officers are protected under an Idaho provision covering “a good faith report to a police officer for the purpose of initiating a criminal proceeding.” Watkins describes Berry as “a politician, businessman, savvy in matters political and a tireless advocate for those who are exploited.”
Asked how Berry learned about Wilcox’s situation in Idaho, Watkins answered vaguely, though he pointed to Wilcox’s company’s earlier courtship of Missouri. At one point, he noted, Wilcox’s presence in Missouri was public, as was the economic boost his company promised. “State leaders bent over backwards to accommodate a business plan touted as being a prospective boon for the State, the Fredericktown area, and St. Louis,” Watkins said. “Those same people are most likely acutely aware of the reality that asp oil salesmen come in many different forms.”
