Eastern District of Arkansas
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Pine Bluff Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for PerjuryRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Dezstiny Collins will spend the next 18 months in federal prison for lying to a grand jury. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on April 10, 2025, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
A federal grand jury indicted Collins, 29, of Pine Bluff, in an indictment on August 3, 2022. She was charged in a one count indictment of false declarations before a grand jury. On December 5, 2024, Collins pleaded guilty to the perjury charge in the indictment.
Collins was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury on March 2, 2022, as part of an ongoing federal investigation into ammunition possessed by convicted felons during a shooting and homicide in Pine Bluff. During her testimony before the grand jury, Collins repeatedly denied being with the suspects from the February 26, 2019, shooting despite being confronted with surveillance video footage from local businesses that placed her with the suspects immediately prior to the shooting. At the change of plea hearing, Collins acknowledged that the testimony she provided before the grand jury was not truthful.
In addition to the 18-month sentence, Judge Miller sentenced Collins to three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the FBI and Pine Bluff Police Department. The case was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Arkansas by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Fields.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and MarijuanaRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today after a jury convicted him of committing multiple drug crimes. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Marquis Hunt, 42, Hunt was indicted by a federal grand jury on a third superseding indictment on August 6, 2024. An investigation revealed that on July 8, 2022, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made contact with Hunt at a residence in southwest Little Rock. Hunt was detained while a search warrant was obtained and executed. During a search, agents located more than 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 16 pounds of fentanyl throughout the residence, as well as distributable amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Through further investigation, it was discovered that the fentanyl was distributed or sprayed on shredded vegetable material with a mixture of the prescription painkiller tramadol, which made it appear to be a form of synthetic marijuana or “K2.” During the jury trial, Hunt acknowledged selling drugs, but then denied selling the drugs located at the residence.
After a three-day jury trial, a federal grand jury found Hunt guilty of four federal narcotics violations: possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
In addition to the 360-month prison term, Judge Moody also sentenced Hunt to five years’ supervised release, and $400 in special assessments. There is no parole in the federal system.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Arkansas State Police and Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. The and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Fields and Reese Lancaster.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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California Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Victor Garcia will spend the next 168 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr.
A federal grand jury indicted Garcia, 43, of Palmdale, California, in a superseding indictment on April 5, 2023. He was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. On November 4, 2024, Garcia pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
On December 21, 2022, the Conway Police Department conducted a traffic stop and upon investigation, discovered Garcia had a federal warrant for drug distribution out of California. Officers conducted a pat down search of Garcia and located a methamphetamine pipe in his possession. Garcia admitted to officers that he had a small amount of marijuana in the center console of the vehicle. During the officers questioning of Garcia and his passenger, they provided officers inconsistent stories. Upon a search of the passenger, officers located a baggie of methamphetamine in her possession.
While conducting a search of the vehicle, officers noted the carpeting was not uniform and after locating the seam of the carpet, determined it had been glued down. Officers pulled the carpet back and discovered a sheet of metal with hinges. Upon a search of this after-market hidden compartment, officers located over 20 kilograms of pure methamphetamine in five vacuum-sealed bags.
Judge Marshall sentenced Garcia to serve 168 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Judge Marshall also sentenced Garcia to five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Conway Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Twenty-Seven Members of Little Rock Drug-Trafficking Organization in Custody Following Arrest OperationRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Twenty-seven defendants accused of distributing large amounts of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine and cocaine, in central Arkansas are in custody after federal and state authorities made a series of arrests in Pulaski County this morning as part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Warner Benson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Little Rock Field Office, announced today’s arrests.
According to a federal superseding indictment that was unsealed today following the arrests, the large-scale drug organization in central Arkansas is headed by Eric Dillard, 44, and Jimmie McDaniels, 49, both of Little Rock. A team of law enforcement agencies in the area coordinated to arrest 27 of the 29 defendants listed in the indictment this morning. Dillard was already in federal custody based on a federal indictment filed against him on September 11, 2024.
The superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on March 4, 2025. The defendants were charged with a series of drug and gun crimes, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A financial investigation also led to money laundering charges, including conspiracy, against six defendants.
“The lethality of fentanyl requires our continued resolve to prioritize these types of investigations,” Ross said. “We will also keep our focus on other deadly drugs such as methamphetamine, which remains the most abused drug in our state, and cocaine, both of which were involved this case.”
The arrests stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, investigation that began in September 2023. Most the defendants listed in the indictment are from Little Rock and surrounding towns. The investigation, which was headed by the DEA, involved numerous controlled purchases of fentanyl from members of the conspiracy, as well as the seizure of 19 firearms and approximately a pound of fentanyl. According to information learned throughout the investigation, it is believed this organization has trafficked hundreds of pounds of fentanyl to people in Arkansas.
Additionally, during the investigation law enforcement agents intercepted numerous phone calls in which the conspiracy members discussed trafficking fentanyl and layering profits through various channels to disguise the source of the proceeds. Throughout the investigation more than $100,000 in illegal proceeds was seized by law enforcement.
“This morning’s arrest operation represents a significant blow to a criminal network that was flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Warner Benson. “Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these organizations and protecting the citizens of Central Arkansas from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Those arrested today will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney on Thursday. Today’s arrests are the result of a joint investigation between the DEA Little Rock District Office; DEA New Orleans Field Division, DEA Houston, FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, North Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Sherwood Police Department, Cabot Police Department, Arkansas Community Corrections, Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Postal Service; and the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Defendants Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Violating Big Cat Public Safety ActRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced that Keidrick Damond Usifo and Deon Johnson, were sentenced to probation on Thursday, March 6, 2025, by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr. for violation of the Big Cat Public Safety Act.
Judge Moody sentenced Usifo, 30, of Conway, Arkansas, to five years’ probation and a $5,000.00 fine, and Johnson, 29, of Little Rock, Arkansas, to 18 months’ probation, and a $1,000.00 fine. Usifo and Johnson were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 5, 2024. Usifo was indicted on one count of violation of the Big Cat Public Safety Act and Johnson was indicted on one count of misprision of a felony, which related to Johnson’s affirmative concealment of Usifo’s crime. On October 22, 2024, both Usifo and Johnson pled guilty to their counts in the indictment.
An investigation revealed that Usifo purchased and transported a tiger cub around March 16-18, 2023, from a tiger broker in Dallas, Texas. On April 7, 2023, the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) notified USFWS that they received a complaint of a tiger cub sighting in a residential neighborhood in Conway. On April 17, 2023, an agent with AGFC was notified that there was a man with a tiger in the backyard of a residence in Conway. There was also an anonymous tip posted on AGFC’s page about a tiger cub for sale in Conway. The Big Cat Public Safety Act makes it illegal to privately possess or breed big cats.
A further investigation revealed that on April 19, 2023, a second complaint was made to AGFC about a tiger at a residence in Conway. On April 21, 2023, a traffic stop was conducted and Usifo was arrested on a felony state warrant. The Conway Police Department executed a search warrant at Usifo’s residence and although they did not locate the tiger, there was evidence in the residence indicating the presence of a tiger, as well as matching rooms from Usifo’s Instagram posts that displayed a tiger cub.
While in the Pulaski County Detention Facility (PCDF), Usifo made several calls to Johnson. The investigation revealed that Johnson had knowledge of when Usifo was going to travel to Dallas to get the tiger and of Usifo’s possession of the tiger. Johnson also fed the tiger for Usifo during Usifo’s incarceration at PCDF. Johnson concealed any knowledge of the tiger when questioned by agents.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act was enacted on December 20, 2022, to protect the public by putting an end to the private ownership of big cats, such as tigers and lions, as pets and by prohibiting exhibitors from allowing public contact with big cats, including tiger cubs. It has placed new restrictions on the commerce, breeding, possession, and use of certain big cat species. In order to legally possess privately owned big cats, the Act required individuals or entities to register any big cats before the date of enactment, that were in their possession with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
The case was investigated by the USFWS, with assistance from AGFC, Conway Police Department, and the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Walker with assistance from the United States Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Operation Enforce and RemoveRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—The largest collaborative police effort to enforce federal immigration laws in Arkansas’s history resulted in the arrest of 219 illegal immigrants over the past three weeks. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Clay Fowlkes, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced the culmination of “Operation Enforce and Remove,” an arrest operation across the state that involved all federal law enforcement agencies operating in Arkansas, as well the Arkansas State Police and all 19 Arkansas Judicial Drug Task Forces, who coordinated and organized the overall operation. In addition to assisting with immigration enforcement, these task forces also arrested 253 individuals suspected of committing drug crimes and seized nearly 15,000 pounds of illegal drugs worth millions of dollars and 43 guns.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents collaborated with the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Drug Task Forces and Arkansas State Police, to arrest 219 illegal immigrants during the three weeks of this enforcement operation, which began February 5. In total, since January 21, when President Donald Trump issued executive orders designed to prioritize the enforcement of immigration laws, 375 illegal immigrants have been arrested in Arkansas.
“On January 21, the Department of Justice issued a memo to all Department components, to include all U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the DEA, FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals, instructing each agency to partner with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus our resources and attention to immigration-related investigations and prosecutions at the federal, state, and local level,” U.S. Attorney Ross said.
“The memo outlined policy changes in response to the President’s day one Executive Orders and provided guidance critical to the Department’s mission to combat three of the most serious threats facing the American people: First, cartels and other transnational criminal organizations which have created unsafe borders and huge flows of illegal immigration in violation of U.S. law. Second, brutal and intolerable violent crime by members of these organizations and illegal aliens. Third, the fentanyl crisis and opioid epidemic that are poisoning our communities and have inflicted an unprecedented toll of addiction, suffering, and death.
“Because the Justice Department must and will work to eradicate these threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Arkansas along with each of our federal law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize working with ICE to aggressively enforce the immigration and drug-and-violent crime laws enacted by Congress. When these efforts are combined with our partnerships with our outstanding state and local law enforcement officials, we are confident that this first operation will lead to additional successful operations in the days ahead.”
“Our commitment to safeguarding communities in western Arkansas remains steadfast as we implement increased immigration enforcement efforts,” U.S. Attorney Fowlkes said. “We are dedicated to upholding the law and ensuring public safety while maintaining the highest standards of law enforcement and prosecution. Through collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, we will address the challenges of illegal immigration and protect our communities from criminals who seek to illegally enter the United States and subject our communities to their criminal activities and associated violence.”
In preparation for “Operation Enforce and Remove,” ICE, working with other federal and local partners, developed intelligence related to the locations of known illegal immigrants. The individuals these agents sought to arrest and remove had previous encounters with law enforcement, and therefore had known addresses in various databases. Some offenders were previously convicted of crimes, while others had some type of prior contact with law enforcement. All were in the country illegally and will be deported. Of the 219 arrests of illegal immigrants during the enforcement operation, 127 individuals were processed through the ICE Enforcement and Removal office in Little Rock, 57 were processed through the Fayetteville office, 23 through the Fort Smith office, and 17 individuals through the Texarkana office.
The illegal immigrants located in Arkansas came from 23 different countries. The crimes some of these individuals were previously convicted of include: battery, aggravated assault, robbery, drug possession and distribution, domestic violence, sexual assault, illegal firearm possession, running an illegal casino, forgery, hit-and-run, indecent exposure, and sexual assault against a minor.
“We will continue to use every tool and resource available to identify, locate and apprehend those criminal aliens that threaten public safety,” said Larry Adams, ICE Assistant Field Office Director. “Our enforcement efforts are unwavering and our dedication to protecting our communities remains stronger than ever.”
At the same time that ICE was engaged in immigration operations, Drug Task Force officers were conducting numerous drug investigations that involved highway interdiction, controlled purchases of narcotics, the execution of search warrants, and other methods aimed at arresting individuals known to be involved in drug trafficking. In addition to the 253 drug-related arrests and 43 guns seized, officers across the state seized the following drugs: 225 pounds of methamphetamine, 65 pounds of cocaine, 14,542 pounds of marijuana, and 2,681 fentanyl pills and 90 grams of fentanyl powder. The street value of these drugs, broken down to a user level, is potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. These individuals will be prosecuted at either the state or federal level, depending on the particular case.
The 472 arrests announced today are the culmination of the first, but not last, collaborative federal and state law enforcement effort designed to carry out the Department of Justice’s mission, and help keep all Arkansans safe.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Eighteen Members of Poinsett County Drug-Trafficking Organization in Custody Following Arrest OperationRead the Press Release
MARKED TREE—Eighteen defendants accused of distributing large amounts of methamphetamine in northeast Arkansas are in custody after federal and state authorities made several arrests in Poinsett County this morning as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation. Jonathan Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Alicia D. Corder, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, announced today’s arrests.
The large-scale drug operation in northeast Arkansas is, according to a federal indictment, headed by Jack Brown, 58, of Marked Tree, Reginald Hendrix, 53, of Trumann, and Dewayne Morris, 36, Trumann. A team of law enforcement agencies in the area coordinated to arrest 17 individuals this morning. Another defendant was already in state custody. Today’s arrests are in conjunction with the unsealing of the indictment of 21 individuals who were charged by a federal grand jury on February 6, 2025. Twenty of the 21 defendants are charged together in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Three additional coconspirators who live outside the area have been indicted but have not yet been arrested.
The arrests stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, investigation that began in July 2023. Most the defendants listed in the indictment are from the small Arkansas towns of Trumann and Marked Tree. The indictment marks the first large-scale federal investigation into that section of the state. The investigation, which was headed by the FBI, involved numerous controlled purchases of methamphetamine from members of the conspiracy. Additionally, throughout the investigation law enforcement agents intercepted numerous phone calls in which the conspiracy members discussed trafficking what was in total multiple pounds of methamphetamine.
“The arrests of these defendants continue to show the commitment of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office to focus on making our communities better,” stated United States Attorney Ross. “Through the collaborative efforts of these law enforcement agencies, we were able to make a significant impact in getting these violent drug traffickers out of the community.”
“Ridding Arkansas communities of dangerous narcotics and violent criminals is a top priority for law enforcement across the state,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder. “Today’s arrests demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to fostering safer communities for the citizens of Arkansas, and we will continue to collaborate with our federal, state, and local partners on this shared goal.”
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Those arrested today will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney on Thursday, February 27. Today’s arrests are the result of a joint investigation between the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Marshals Service; ICE; Arkansas State Police; the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office; Trumann Police Department; Jonesboro Police Department; Craighead County Sheriff’s Office; Marion Police Department; West Memphis Police Department; Blytheville Police Department; the Arkansas Second Judicial Drug Task Force; and the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Sin City Deciples Member Sentenced to 204 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Richard White, age 57, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after being found guilty of a racketeering conspiracy following an 18-day jury trial, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
White was sentenced to 204 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere. Between 2009 and 2021, the defendant conspired with other members of the Sin City Deciples to commit racketeering activity and acted as the club’s National Head Enforcer. As part of that conspiracy, White committed multiple overt and predicate acts, the most serious of which were the attempted murder of Victim 2, as well as the beating and shooting of a Sin City member at the Gary clubhouse.
The agencies involved in this prosecution were: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, the Schererville Police Department, the Pittsburgh (PA) Police Department and Allegheny County (PA) Sheriff’s Department. Also providing assistance were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and former Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly L. Schultz.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Walnut Ridge Man Sentenced to More Than 21 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Being A Felon in Possession of 26 FirearmsRead the Press Release
JONESBORO—Terry Duane Qualls, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 262 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On September 20, 2024, Qualls, 37, of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of firearms. Qualls was indicted on April 5, 2024, in a superseding indictment, on one count of conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of being a felon in possession of 26 firearms, and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
In addition to the sentence, which equals 21 years and 10 months, Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Qualls to five years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
In the spring of 2021, law enforcement received information that Qualls was a multi-pound distributor of methamphetamine, and also a distributor of marijuana, heroin, fentanyl, LSD, and ecstasy in the northeast Arkansas area. Law enforcement arrested Qualls twice in the following months, finding him in possession of drugs and drug proceeds. Law enforcement also conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Qualls. The investigation led to the execution of a search warrant on sprawling property off Greene 707 Road, which was occupied by Qualls. Law enforcement located several stolen vehicles and a marijuana grow on the property.
Inside of a camper where Qualls resided, law enforcement located 26 firearms, body armor, 25 additional magazines, and five full cans of ammunition. Law enforcement also located approximately 340 grams of methamphetamine in multiple baggies, over 3,000 grams of marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, suboxone, LSD, mushrooms, alprazolam, clonazepam, THC wax, 60 sudephedrine tablets, and steroids, along with a plastic bin full of syringes, five digital scales, 13 pipes, and a marijuana grinder.
Qualls was sentenced as a career offender on the drug conviction due to his criminal history that includes three serious drug convictions. Qualls was sentenced as an armed career criminal on the gun conviction due to his criminal history as well.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Second Judicial Drug Task Force, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, and Jonesboro Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Morrilton Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Timothy Lee Highfield will spend 30 years in federal prison for production of child sexual abuse material. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On June 8, 2022, Highfield, 46, of Morrilton, Arkansas, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of production of child pornography. On January 9, 2024, Highfield pleaded guilty to the count in the Indictment. Chief Judge Baker sentenced Highfield to 360 months in federal prison a lifetime of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On approximately December 17, 2021, a citizen brought a phone containing child sexual abuse material to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). An investigation revealed the phone previously belonged to Highfield. During a search of the phone by FBI, a video made by Highfield was located on the phone. The video depicted a minor, believed to be less than seven years of age, performing oral sex on Highfield. The phone also contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material and adults performing sexual acts with minors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Mississippi Man Sentenced to over Eight Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
JONESBORO—Robert Wilburn, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 100 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Lee P. Rudofsky.
On March 15, 2022, deputies from the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle that was stopped on the side of the road. Deputies located Wilburn asleep behind the wheel of the vehicle. While attempting to wake Wilburn, deputies noticed the smell of intoxicants and marijuana in the vehicle. After repeated attempts, deputies were finally able to wake Wilburn, whose speech was incoherent. Deputies removed Wilburn from the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs. During a search of Wilburn’s vehicle, deputies located in plain view next to the center console a Glock 43, 9mm firearm that contained a loaded magazine and one round in the chamber. In the center console, deputies located a box of 9mm ammunition that matched the ammunition found inside of the firearm. Deputies also located a second magazine in the glovebox. Deputies found an open beer can in the center cup holder that was cold to the touch and a small amount of marijuana in the pocket of the driver’s side door.
On February 9, 2023, Wilburn, 32, of Inverness, Mississippi, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. On August 21, 2024, a jury found Wilburn guilty after a two-day jury trial conducted in the Jonesboro federal courthouse.
Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Wilburn to three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin O’Leary and Katie Hinojosa.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Sin City Deciples Member Sentenced to 36 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Yesterday, Brandon Romand Parks “Baywatch,” age 46, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after being found guilty of racketeering conspiracy following an 18-day jury trial, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Parks was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
Parks served as a National President of the entire club and was involved in the conspiracy to commit acts of racketeering activity between 2016-2018. As National President, Parks was 2nd in command behind the founder of the club.
The agencies involved in this prosecution were: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. Also providing assistance were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick and Michael J. Toth.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Searcy Landlord Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion and Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Searcy man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison today. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Thomas Ray Kelso, 74, of Searcy, Arkansas, was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 1, 2023. Prior to that, an investigation by the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force revealed that Kelso frequently distributed methamphetamine at an apartment complex in Searcy. Kelso, who owned the apartment complex, exploited female residents in the complex and forced them into performing sex acts in order to keep the power on in their apartment, satisfy their rent obligations, or obtain illegal narcotics.
The investigation also revealed that when one woman refused Kelso’s sexual advances, he pulled her electricity meter to cut her power. Kelso also employed one woman to recruit other women for him so he could exploit them to engage in performing sexual acts on him.
After a two-day trial that concluded on August 14, 2024, a federal grand jury found Kelso, guilty on all four counts for which he was indicted: three counts of sex trafficking and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Judge Moody also sentenced Kelso to five years’ supervised release, a $50,000 fine, and $50,000 in restitution for a total of $100,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Searcy Police Department and Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Shelby Shelton.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Woman Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison After Transporting Stolen Human RemainsRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Candace Chapman Scott, 37, of Little Rock, will serve a total of 15 years in federal prison for transporting stolen human body parts—including fetuses—out of Arkansas and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Thursday, January 16, 2025, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
The investigation revealed that Scott, while an employee at a mortuary services provider between October 2021 through approximately July 15, 2022, stole human body parts and fetal remains. Scott would then sell the body parts and fetal remains to a purchaser in Pennsylvania.
The investigation revealed that Scott met the Pennsylvania purchaser through a Facebook group that openly discussed the sale of body parts. Ultimately, Scott sent the purchaser 24 boxes containing stolen human remains that she acquired at the mortuary provider, including two fetuses. Scott acknowledged in communications with the purchaser that ashes from other cremated bodies would be returned to the parents of the deceased fetuses, instead of ashes from their child.
The remains included a skull, multiple brains, an arm, an ear, multiple lungs, multiple hearts, multiple breasts, a belly button, testicles, and other parts. During a search warrant executed at Scott’s Little Rock home, investigators found numerous stolen body parts that she admitted she transported in trash bags from her work. Scott received a total of $10,625 from the purchaser in Pennsylvania for the human remains.
“Imagine learning that the cremated remains of your child given to you after their death were not actually those of your child, because instead the FBI recovered the body of that child in another state. That is the shocking truth that happened in this case for the family of “Baby Lux,” stated Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Baby Lux was named ‘Lux Siloam,’ which means ‘light sent,’ and now his light has illuminated an evil and dark underworld of criminals who engage in the trafficking of stolen human bodies and body parts. And with help from the powerful testimony of Baby Lux’s mother and grandmother at yesterday’s sentencing hearing, the criminal responsible for the theft and trafficking of the bodies and body parts of many Arkansas victims, including Baby Lux, has been held accountable. Let today’s sentence stand as a warning to anyone else committing these crimes that our office will spare no effort to find you, arrest you, and seek the harshest penalty under the law.”
“This was a truly incomprehensible and detestable crime,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder. “This sentencing does not reverse the immeasurable damage that has been caused to the victimized families, however, the FBI and our partners will continuously work to ensure justice is served for all.”
Judge Miller sentenced Scott to 10 years in federal prison for interstate transportation of stolen property and 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Scott will serve both sentences concurrently for a total of 15 years. Judge Miller also sentenced Scott to a total of three years’ supervised release, a fine of $10,625, and restitution in the amount of $1,800. There is no parole in the federal system.
Scott was indicted on April 5, 2023, and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property on April 25, 2024.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Arkansas State Police, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pulaski County Coroner’s Office, and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department (Pennsylvania). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Jegley and Michael Gordon.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Sin City Deciples Member Sentenced to 132 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Marvie Gardner “Widowmaker,” age 54, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Gardner was sentenced to 132 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
Gardner served as a National Vice-President of the entire club and was involved in the conspiracy to commit acts of racketeering activity between 2017-2020. As National Vice-President, Gardner was 3rd in command behind the founder of the club, and the National President.
This case was investigated by: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. Also providing assistance were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick and Michael J. Toth.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Leader of Pharmacy Burglary Ring Across Multiple States Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Keith Brown, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 209 months, or nearly 17 ½ years, in federal prison for his lead role in a criminal organization that was responsible for dozens of pharmacy burglaries and stolen controlled substances worth millions of dollars. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on today by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller on Thursday.
A federal grand jury indicted Brown, along with 41 other defendants who were indicted in a superseding indictment on July 2, 2024, on November 8, 2023. He was charged in six counts related to the burglaries, including two conspiracy counts and four counts for pharmacy burglary. Brown was initially indicted on November 8, 2022, along with 17 co-conspirators. On September 4, 2024, Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
An investigation revealed that Brown, 35, of Humble, Texas, was involved in a drug trafficking organization that included documented gang members from the 5th Ward area in Houston, Texas. Investigators discovered more than 96,000 tablets of Schedule II controlled substances—including oxycodone, hydrocodone, Adderall, and others—were stolen were stolen from pharmacies throughout the United States, including pharmacies in the Eastern District of Arkansas. The street value of all controlled substances stolen by the organization in the Arkansas burglaries alone is close to $1.6 million. Investigators also seized six firearms, approximately $79,000 in U.S. currency, and custom jewelry retailing approximately $330,000.
Brown, who was the leader of the organization, was personally involved in the commission of at least 34 pharmacy burglaries between July 24, 2021, and November 13, 2022. These burglaries took place in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, and Florida. The quantity of Schedule II controlled substances stolen from pharmacies and distributed by Brown and his co-conspirators has a street value of more than $12,000,000. Brown previously has been convicted of aggravated robbery, burglary of a building with intent to commit theft, possession of codeine, burglary of a building (which was a pharmacy in Texas), and burglary – 2nd degree (which was a pharmacy in Oklahoma).
Judge Miller sentenced Brown to serve 209 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Judge Miller also sentenced Brown to three years’ supervised release. At a later date, Brown will be ordered to pay restitution to the pharmacies affected and that is expected to exceed $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
Trial for the remaining defendants is currently scheduled for April 7, 2025.
Investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office, worked in conjunction with the following law enforcement partners:
DEA New Orleans Division (Little Rock District Office, Fayetteville Resident Office, Shreveport Resident Office, Mobile Resident Office),
DEA Special Operations Division,
DEA Houston Division (Houston TDS Group, Galveston Resident Office),
DEA Omaha Division,
DEA Rocky Mountain Division (Salt Lake City District Office, Cheyenne Resident Office),
DEA Atlanta Division (Columbia District Office),
DEA Miami Division (Pensacola District Office),
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Little Rock Field Office,
FBI Cast Team,
U.S. Marshals Service,
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics,
Harris County Sheriff’s Office,
League City Police Department (Dickinson, Texas),
Houston (Texas) Police Department Northeast Division Crime Suppression Team,
Houston (Texas) Police Department CID, and
Arkansas State Police
The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Arkansas by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Fields.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Edmond Quatrell Blue, a multi-convicted felon caught with more than a kilogram of fentanyl, will spend the next 18 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr.
In addition to the 18 years’ imprisonment, Judge Marshall sentenced Blue, 33, of Little Rock, Arkansas, to five years of supervised release. Blue was indicted on April 5, 2023, in a one-count indictment charging possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and pleaded guilty on July 29, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed that on June 10, 2022, DEA agents conducted surveillance on Blue near the area of an apartment complex on Napa Valley Drive in Little Rock. During the surveillance, DEA agents observed a red Mazda pull into the parking lot with Blue arriving in the parking lot a short time later. Blue exited his vehicle and got in the back seat of the Mazda. A short time later, Blue exited the Mazda holding a plastic McDonald’s bag and walked to an unknown apartment.
Blue was then observed leaving the area but returning later in the afternoon in a black Ford F-250. He then went inside an apartment and returned to the Ford F-250 with a purple duffle bag. Blue put the duffle bag into the black Ford F-250 and left the area in the passenger seat of the truck. The Arkansas State Police (ASP) stopped the truck for a traffic violation at the front entrance of an apartment complex near Kanis and Barrow Road.
Blue exited the passenger side of the truck with the purple duffle bag and fled on foot, running west through the complex. A DEA Task Force Officer (TFO) who observed Blue flee drove to the west side of the complex where he observed Blue throw the purple duffle bag into a construction dumpster. Officers pursued Blue on foot, while the TFO climbed into the construction dumpster to retrieve the purple duffle bag. In the duffle bag the TFO found a plastic McDonald’s bag that contained a large plastic bag of a solid white powder substance and a “brick” or kilogram of a solid white powder substance, which were tested and confirmed by the DEA to be 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl. Officers located Blue hiding in a vacant apartment and took him into custody.
Blue’s prior criminal history includes felony convictions for possession of cocaine with the purpose to deliver, multiple convictions for possession of drug paraphernalia, multiple convictions for possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, illegal possession of a firearm, and felony fleeing.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA with assistance from ASP and the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Crews.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Man Convicted of Illegally Possessing Firearms Multiple Times Will Spend 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man federally convicted twice for illegal gun possession received a 15-year prison sentence for his latest crime. Combined with his previous federal sentence, Juantay Jackson, 37, will spend 20 years in federal prison following the ruling handed down Thursday by United States District Court Chief Judge Kristine G. Baker.
A federal grand jury indicted Jackson on May 3, 2023, on three charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, following an arrest on September 8, 2022. He pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on October 19, 2023.
Jackson had been previously indicted on identical charges on March 6, 2018, stemming for a separate incident that occurred in 2017 when Jackson also had a gun and drugs in his vehicle. After pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in that case, Jackson was scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2019. However, Jackson failed to appear for that hearing and evaded police until his arrest on September 8, 2022, when he again had a gun and drugs in his vehicle. Ultimately, Jackson received a 10-year sentence for his 2017 crime.
On Thursday, Judge Baker sentenced Jackson to 15 years in federal prison for his 2022 crime, plus three years of supervised release. From that 15-year sentence, 10 years are to be run consecutive to the 10 years Jackson received in his previous case, resulting in 20 years of total imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
In Jackson’s most recent case, an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) revealed that on September 8, 2022, North Little Rock police officers attempted to stop on a vehicle driven by Jackson, however Jackson fled from officers in the vehicle while driving at speeds in excess of 65 mph in a 30-mph zone before ultimately crashing into a light pole. Jackson then fled on foot but was apprehended. Officers located two bags of pills which contained methamphetamine in Jackson’s pocket. Officers also searched Jackson’s vehicle and found a loaded handgun in the driver’s side floorboard, additional ammunition, and a large-capacity magazine. Officers also located a backpack containing marijuana in the rear seat.
This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the North Little Rock Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shelby Shelton.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Illegal Possession of Ammunition Leads to 15-Year Prison Sentence for North Little Rock ManRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Terell Davis, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Thursday by United States District Judge Billy Roy Wilson.
On February 20, 2024, Davis, 40, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition. Judge Wilson also sentenced Davis to three years supervised release. Davis was indicted on February 7, 2023, in a superseding indictment on one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
An investigation revealed that while investigating a shooting incident, on August 9, 2022, officers from the North Little Rock Police Department executed a search warrant on Davis’s residence in North Little Rock, Arkansas. During the search, officers recovered .45 caliber, .40 caliber, .410 caliber, .38 caliber, .357 caliber, 7.62x39 caliber, .223 caliber, and 9mm ammunition, along with multiple 50-round drum magazines.
Davis was on parole at the time of the offense and has prior convictions for manslaughter, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, battery in the first degree, fleeing in a vehicle causing danger, and possession of cocaine with purpose to deliver.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the North Little Rock Police Department.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Husband and Wife Receive Combined 45 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Terry Wayne Franklin and his wife, Mary Danielle Sheppard, will spend a combined 45 years in prison after selling fentanyl to a victim who then overdosed and died from the drug. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentences, which were handed down this week by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Judge Moody sentenced Franklin, 39, of Conway, who had prior felony drug convictions, to 25 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release on Wednesday. Sheppard, 36, of Conway, received a 20-year sentence, also followed by three years of supervised release, on Thursday. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This couple made the decision to sell pills containing a deadly, illegal drug, unfortunately resulting in yet another loss of life from the use of fentanyl,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Let this sentence serve as a warning to those who sell fentanyl in any form, that you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and the penalty is severe.”
The pair were charged on July 5, 2023, in a two-count indictment for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Sheppard pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death on March 21, 2024, and Franklin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death on April 1, 2024.
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation revealed that on May 15, 2022, the Greenbrier Police Department was dispatched to a possible overdose at a residence. The victim of the overdose later died at a hospital in Conway. On the scene, officers located several blue, round pills scored “M30”. Subsequent investigation by the DEA and the Conway Police Department discovered numerous text messages between the victim and Franklin discussing the victim’s purchase of fentanyl pills. Franklin directed the victim to make payment to Sheppard’s CashApp account and directed the victim to obtain the pills from Sheppard. Surveillance video also showed the victim and Sheppard meeting the night the victim obtained the pills and died.
Following the victim’s death, on September 16, 2022, a Nacogdoches, Texas, police officer conducted a traffic stop on Franklin and Sheppard, who were heading north toward Arkansas out of south Texas. During the stop, officers located numerous pills containing fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Greenbrier Police Department, the Conway Police Department, and the Nacogdoches, Texas, Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Gordon and Reese Lancaster.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Inmate at Federal Bureau of Prisons Sentenced to an Additional 10 Years' Imprisonment Following Guilty Verdict for Assault Causing Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Raymond Tetzlaff, an inmate incarcerated at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Forrest City, Arkansas, will spend an additional 10 years in federal prison after his current sentence is complete following his conviction for an assault causing serious bodily injury in which the victim ultimately died. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Following a three-day jury trial, Tetzlaff, 41, of Great Falls, Montana, was convicted by a federal jury on June 12, 2024. The jury found Tetzlaff guilty on one count of assault causing serious bodily injury.
Tetzlaff is currently serving a 216-month federal sentence for drug crimes from a 2017 case out of Montana. That sentence is expected to expire in 2032. Tetzlaff’s 120-month sentence in the assault case will begin to run when the sentence from the drug case is complete. In addition to the 10 years’ of imprisonment, Judge Moody sentenced Tetzlaff to five years of supervised release. The sentence is the maximum amount of imprisonment under law Tetzlaff could serve. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is my sincere hope that today’s sentence will bring a level of comfort and peace to the victim’s family,” said Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Prisoners should be safe while serving their term of imprisonment. The significant sentence handed down by the judge should serve as a warning to all inmates that if you cause harm to a fellow prisoner, our office will work to hold you accountable.
“The defendant showed no remorse and the sentence is reflective of the defendant’s callous indifference to the loss of another man’s life.”
Tetzlaff was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 1, 2023, in a two-count indictment that charged him with one count of manslaughter and one count of assault causing serious bodily injury. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on assault but did not reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge.
Through an investigation, it was revealed that on October 29, 2022, at the federal prison in Forrest City, Tetzlaff punched an inmate in the face, knocking him to the floor. The victim of the assault sustained a fractured skull when he hit the floor. Three days after the assault by Tetzlaff, the victim succumbed to the injuries. It was discovered during the investigation that Tetzlaff assaulted the victim over concerns for a missing contraband cell phone.
Witnesses at trial testified that Tetzlaff punched the victim when the victim was not paying attention and was turning away from him. After being punched, the victim was knocked unconscious and crashed to the floor, resulting in a fracture to his skull. Witnesses reported the victim later had a seizure and fell from his top bunk onto the floor. The victim was taken to the hospital, but never regained consciousness.
In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Moody pointed out Tetzlaff’s lack of remorse and violence of the act, as well as numerous previous incidents in which he had used violence in criminal activities, as reasons for the sentence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the BOP. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bart Dickinson and Chris Givens.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Newport Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—John Balentine, a multi-convicted felon, will spend 188 months in federal prison after illegally possessing a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Monday, November 18, 2024, by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
Balentine, 34, of Newport, Arkansas, was indicted on December 7, 2022, in a superseding indictment on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty on May 24, 2024. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Balentine to five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revealed that on February 18, 2020, officers from the Newport Police Department and Arkansas Community Correction responded to Balentine’s residence due to reports that he was in possession of a firearm. At the time, Balentine was on active supervision with a search waiver on file. During a search of his bedroom, officers located a Colt, .38 caliber firearm loaded with six rounds between Balentine’s mattresses.
Balentine is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his violent criminal history, which includes convictions for four residential burglaries, a robbery, and a terroristic act. Due to this history, Balentine faced at least 15 years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF with assistance from the Newport Police Department and Arkansas Community Correction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katie Hinojosa.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Cabot Man Sentenced to over 16 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—George Tavis Marino, II, a multi-convicted felon, will spend 200 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Marino was indicted on August 1, 2023, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty on March 21, 2024. Judge Moody also sentenced Marino to five years supervised release.
An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revealed that on May 13, 2022, at approximately 9:30 p.m., an Arkansas State Police trooper initiated a traffic stop at 2500 John Hardin Drive, in Jacksonville, Arkansas, on a silver Mazda for illegally displaying white lights to the rear of the vehicle, near the license plate. As the trooper approached the vehicle, he saw the front passenger, later identified as Marino, reach under his seat. At that point, the Trooper instructed Marino to put his hands where he could see them and not to dig around on the floorboard. Marino then raised his hands through the open passenger window.
The trooper advised the driver of the reason for the stop and asked if either of the men was on probation or parole, and both men stated “no.” The trooper asked Marino to exit the vehicle and saw him reach under his seat again. Concerned that he was reaching for a firearm, the trooper reached inside to prevent Marino from moving and told him not to “do anything stupid.” Marino denied having a firearm when asked by the trooper. After repeatedly being instructed to exit the vehicle and not reach for anything, Marino eventually exited through the open passenger window.
Marino repeatedly said, “Don’t do this, man,” tried to cover the trooper’s microphone, and continued to resist. The trooper pulled out his taser and Marino fled after throwing a can of Sprite at the trooper. During a search of Marino’s vehicle, the trooper discovered under the passenger seat a Hi-Point, model C9, 9mm pistol, loaded with five rounds. Marino was eventually located in a Walmart parking lot in Jacksonville and taken into custody.
Marino is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his violent criminal history, which includes 21 prior felony convictions for crimes such as first degree terroristic threatening, second degree battery, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing, aggravated assault, possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, and two prior felon in possession of a firearm convictions. Therefore, the maximum penalty Marino faced was not less than 15 years and not more than life in prison, no more than five years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Greenbrier Man Sentenced to 19 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that Roy David Lykins, 56, of Greenbrier, who fraudulently collected more than $249,000 from the Social Security Administration (SSA), was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller. Lykins was also sentenced to two years of supervised release.
Lykins began receiving Title II Disability Insurance benefits beginning in October 2001. Sometime in February 2005, pursuant to a medical review with the SSA, Lykins claimed in official documents that he could only walk 35 to 50 feet. He also claimed that he could not take care of his own personal hygiene and that he could not understand or follow instructions. From 2002 through 2005, Lykins continued to receive Title II Disability Insurance benefits. Pursuant to notices issued by the SSA, Lykins is required to promptly report any work, earnings, or changes in his condition.
The investigation into Lykins revealed that from 2005 through 2018, Lykins worked as a salaried farmhand in Red Oak, Arkansas. During this time, Lykins received Title II Disability Insurance benefits and did not report his employment to SSA. Lykins concealed his earnings by convincing his employer to issue his paychecks in his wife’s name and Social Security number. During the period 2005 through 2022, Lykins never reported any work, earnings, or changes in his condition as is required by the SSA.
If Lykins would have reported his earnings as a farmhand in 2005, his benefits would have been terminated. Because Lykins did not report his earnings, the resulting loss suffered by the SSA is approximately $249,166.10. Additionally, Lykins received Medicare benefits through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that he was not entitled. The amount of loss to HHS is approximately $56,227.40.
“This defendant knowingly concealed his earnings and was untruthful about the status of his disability, resulting in the receipt of a significant amount of undeserved money and benefits,” Ross said. “Please let this be a warning to those who seek to engage in similar conduct: our office will hold you accountable and seek significant penalties.”
“Roy Lykins feigned a disability and provided a false Social Security Number to fraudulently obtain benefits from SSA for more than a decade. By working as a farmhand and concealing his work and earnings under his wife’s Social Security number, he deceived SSA that he was entitled Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, causing SSA to improperly pay him more than $249,000. This 19-month federal prison sentence now holds him accountable for his criminal acts,” said Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Acting Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “I commend the work of our investigators, and our Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit for their diligent efforts in working to protect taxpayers and SSA benefits. I also thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work in prosecuting this case and bringing forth justice.”
Lykins was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 3, 2023. He was charged with one count of theft of government property and one count of making a false statement. On January 24, 2024, Lykins pleaded guilty to theft of government property in exchange for dismissal of the remaining charge.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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Freddie "Bankroll Freddie" Gladney, III Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison Following Guilty Verdict at Jury Trial on Firearm and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Freddie “Bankroll Freddie” Gladney, III, will spend the next 150 months in federal prison after being convicted of multiple narcotics offenses, including a firearms offense, which involved a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of marijuana in and around central Arkansas. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Following a four-day trial, Gladney, 30, of Helena, was convicted by a federal jury on April 12, 2024. The jury found Gladney guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of using a telephone in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In addition to the 150 months’ total imprisonment, which is more than twelve years, Judge Moody sentenced Gladney to three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Gladney was also ordered to pay a $242,000 money judgment as part of his conviction.
Gladney was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 3, 2023, in a 32-count superseding indictment that charged him with numerous offenses related to a conspiracy that was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Two FBI operations, each focused on a rival gang, were created to address violence and drug trafficking in the corridor between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. The investigations focused on rival gangs responsible for violence throughout central Arkansas, with one operation focused on the EBK or Every Body Killas gang and resulting in the indictment of 35 defendants.
An investigation revealed that on April 14, 2022, an Arkansas State Police trooper observed a black truck speeding and conducted a traffic stop in Marion. The trooper noted the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and asked Gladney to exit the vehicle. Gladney began to exit the vehicle but then reentered and started reaching for something in the vehicle. Because Gladney refused to exit the vehicle, the trooper was forced to remove him.
During a search of Gladney’s vehicle, law enforcement officers located in the passenger seat near the area where Gladney had been reaching, a Romarm/Cugie Model Micro Draco 7.62x39mm caliber firearm and a Polymer 80 Model PF940C, 9mm privately made firearm (also known as a “ghost gun”). Additionally, during a search of the back seat of the vehicle, law enforcement officers located a duffle bag containing 21.4 pounds of high-grade marijuana and $33,662, which was located in the center console along with seven magazines, five of which were extended and fully loaded.
At sentencing, Gladney received a 4-level increase for being an organizer or leader of criminal activity that involved five or more participants. Gladney received a 2-level increase in his guideline range for obstruction of justice related to a May 25, 2021, wiretap call in which he instructed a codefendant to remove guns and scales used for weighing illegal drugs from his Helena residence in anticipation that it would be searched by law enforcement.
GLADNEY III: So where, what you got in the house in Helena?
CODEFENDANT: I got everything out of there.
GLADNEY III: You got everything out of there already?
CODEFENDANT: Yeah.
GLADNEY III: Scales and everything?
CODEFENDANT: Naw, I gotta, gotta, lemme call them. Send em back in to get that. I gotta find out where all they at.
GLADNEY III: Scales and shit. Get everything out the house. Any guns, anything.
CODEFENDANT: Alright, let me..
GLADNEY III: Where that MAK-90 at?
CODEFENDANT: It's not there.
GLADNEY III: Alright get everything else out that house before they go search that b***h.
CODEFENDANT: Alright.
Judge Moody cited the ghost gun in increasing Gladney’s sentence 2.5 years above the guidelines range. Judge Moody noted that based on trial testimony, it was apparent that Gladney’s ghost gun, which did not have a back plate, was either ready to receive a “switch,” or had recently had a “switch” on it, that would turn the ghost gun from a semi-automatic firearm to a fully-automatic firearm. Judge Moody also recognized that Gladney was on probation from a drug and gun case in Memphis at the time he was intercepted on the wiretap in this case.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections, Little Rock Police Department, North Little Rock Police Department, Pine Bluff Police Department, and Jonesboro Police Department. FBI’s GETROCK Task Force was formed in 2017 in response to the escalation in gang and gun violence in Little Rock. The unit’s investigations and operations are coordinated out of FBI Little Rock’s field office, and GETROCK continues to serve as the clearinghouse for gang-related law enforcement activity in Central Arkansas. Additional support was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Inspection Service; Arkansas National Guard Counterdrug Joint Task Force; and the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julie Peters, Amanda Fields, and Reese Lancaster.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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North Little Rock Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Bryant Cordell Hart, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Thursday, October 24, 2024, by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On August 8, 2022, Hart, 38, of North Little Rock, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Hart to four years supervised release. Hart was indicted on December 8, 2021, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An investigation revealed that on June 7, 2021, officers from the Little Rock Police Department conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, officers located a Glock, model 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle Hart was driving. Additionally, officers located marijuana, two digital scales, and a glass pipe in the center console. During a search of the vehicle’s trunk, officers recovered an extended Glock magazine loaded with ammunition that functioned with the firearm found in Hart’s possession.
Hart is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his criminal history that includes multiple convictions for attempted delivery of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of cocaine. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Fields.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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Illegal Possession of Ammunition Leads to 15 Year Prison Sentence for Little Rock ManRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—James Kasmire, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On January 4, 2023, Kasmire, 46, of Little Rock, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Kasmire to three years supervised release. Kasmire was indicted on October 4, 2022, in a superseding indicting on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
An investigation revealed that on October 20, 2020, officers from the Sherwood Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Jacksonville Cutoff Road. During the stop, officers detected the odor of marijuana and observed several open bottles of alcohol in the vehicle. Officers observed the passenger, Kasmire, who admitted there was marijuana in the vehicle, move his left hand near his seatbelt buckle. For the safety of the officers, he was then asked to step out of the vehicle. While conducting a search of Kasmire, officers located a 9mm Luger ammunition round in his pants pocket that he admitted belonged to him.
During a search of the vehicle, officers located in the front passenger seat a bag containing methamphetamine and over 13 grams of marijuana. In between the seatbelt buckle and center console, officers located a Star, Bonifacio Echevarria S.A. model 30M1, PPU 9mm Parabellum caliber firearm.
Kasmire is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his criminal history that includes violent and drug-trafficking offenses, including multiple convictions for delivery of cocaine, delivery of marijuana, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, conspiracy to deliver cocaine, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, aggravated assault, domestic battery third degree, possession of Xanax, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of Hydrocodone, and possession of firearms by certain persons. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Sherwood Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Peters.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Christopher Monroe, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 215 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
Monroe, 44, of Little Rock, was indicted on June 6, 2023, in a six-count indictment charging possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
On April 12, 2024, Monroe pleaded guilty to the fentanyl and methamphetamine crimes, as well as to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Today Judge Miller sentenced Monroe to 155 months in federal prison for the methamphetamine and fentanyl crimes, as well as for being a felon in possession of a firearm, with those offenses to run concurrently. Judge Miller also sentenced Monroe to 60 months in federal prison for possessing the firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, to be served consecutively after the 155-month sentence. In addition to the 215 months’ total imprisonment, which is more than 17.5 years, Judge Miller sentenced Monroe to five years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on May 20, 2023, Arkansas State Troopers observed a GMC Sierra Denali that had previously fled from Sherwood Police and Arkansas State Police in recent weeks and evaded arrest. Troopers pulled up next to the truck and identified the driver as Monroe, the sole occupant of the vehicle. Monroe had confirmed warrants out of Sherwood. Troopers attempted to block the Denali and initiate a traffic stop State Highway 167, but Monroe refused to stop. He collided with patrol cars and fled from troopers, exceeding speeds of 100 m.p.h. and endangering others. Troopers continued to chase Monroe from Sherwood through Little Rock before the pursuit was terminated by immobilizing Monroe’s vehicle at Roosevelt Road.
During a search of Monroe’s vehicle, law enforcement officers located 309 grams of methamphetamine; 109 grams of fentanyl; cocaine; marijuana; and oxycodone. Officers also located in a safe a loaded Taurus Judge .45/.410 caliber firearm. Also located in the safe were multiple controlled substances, baggies, scales, and cash.
Judge Miller based Monroe’s sentence on the offense as well as his documented criminal history. At the time of the Monroe’s possession of the firearm and drugs, he had been previously convicted of 3rd degree domestic battery, possession of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, theft of property, and theft by receiving, as well as illegal possession of a firearm.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Arkansas State Police and Sherwood Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bart Dickinson.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Defendants Plead Guilty to Violation of the Big Cat Public Safety ActRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that two men involved with violations of the Big Cat Public Safety Act have pleaded guilty. Keidrick Damond Usifo, 30, of Conway, and Deon Johnson, 28, of Little Rock, entered guilty pleas earlier today before United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act was enacted December 20, 2022, to protect the public by putting an end to the private ownership of big cats, such as tigers and lions, as pets and by prohibiting exhibitors from allowing public contact with big cats, including tiger cubs. It has placed new restrictions on the commerce, breeding, possession, and use of certain big cat species. In order to legally possess privately owned big cats, the Act required individuals or entities to register any big cats before the date of enactment, that were in their possession with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Usifo and Johnson were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 5, 2024. That indictment charged Usifo with one count of violation of the Big Cat Public Safety Act and Johnson with misprision of a felony, which related to Johnson’s affirmative concealment of Usifo’s crime. On October 22, 2024, both Usifo and Johnson pled guilty to their counts in the indictment. Judge Moody will sentence Usifo and Johnson at a later date.
Violation of the Big Cat Public Safety Act is punishable by not more than five years’ imprisonment and a fine of not more than $10,000. Misprision of a felony is punishable by not more than three years’ imprisonment and a fine of not more than $250,000.
An investigation revealed that Usifo purchased and transported a tiger cub around March 16-18, 2023, from a tiger broker in Dallas, Texas. On April 7, 2023, the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) notified USFWS that they received a complaint of a tiger cub sighting in a residential neighborhood in Conway. On April 17, 2023, an agent with AGFC was notified that there was a man with a tiger in the backyard of a residence in Conway. There was also an anonymous tip posted on AGFC’s page about a tiger cub for sale in Conway. The Big Cat Public Safety Act makes it illegal to privately possess or breed big cats.
A further investigation revealed that on April 19, 2023, a second complaint was made to AGFC about a tiger at a residence in Conway. On April 21, 2023, a traffic stop was conducted and Usifo was arrested on a felony state warrant. The Conway Police Department executed a search warrant at Usifo’s residence and although they did not locate the tiger, there was evidence in the residence indicating the presence of a tiger, as well as matching rooms from Usifo’s Instagram posts.
While in the Pulaski County Detention Facility (PCDF), Usifo made several calls to Johnson. The investigation revealed that Johnson had knowledge of when Usifo was going to travel to Dallas to get the tiger and of Usifo’s possession of the tiger. Johnson also fed the tiger for Usifo during Usifo’s incarceration at PCDF. Johnson concealed any knowledge of the tiger when questioned by agents.
The case was investigated by the USFWS, with assistance from the AGFC, Conway Police Department, and the Little Rock Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Walker.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Jury Finds Little Rock Man Guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and MarijuanaRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man has been convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana at the conclusion of a three-day trial. On Thursday, a federal jury found Marquis Hunt, 42, guilty of four federal narcotics violations: and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
The jury returned their verdict after deliberating for approximately 2.5 hours. United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr. presided over the trial and will sentence Hunt at a later date. Hunt faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with a maximum of life imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hunt was indicted by a federal grand jury on third superseding indictment on August 6, 2024. An investigation revealed that on July 8, 2022, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made contact with Hunt at a residence in southwest Little Rock. Hunt was detained while a search warrant was obtained and executed. During a search, agents located more than 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 16 pounds of fentanyl throughout the residence, as well as distributable amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Through further investigation, it was discovered that the fentanyl was distributed or sprayed on a shredded vegetable material with a mixture of tramadol, which made it appear to be a form of synthetic marijuana or “K2.” During the jury trial, Hunt acknowledged selling drugs, but then denied selling the drugs located at the residence.
The methamphetamine and fentanyl convictions carry minimum statutory sentences of not less than 10 years and not more than life in prison, not less than five years supervised release, and a fine of not more than $10,000,000. The cocaine conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, not less than four years supervised release, and a fine of not more than $1,000,000. The marijuana conviction carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, not less than two years supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Arkansas State Police and Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. The and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Fields and Reese Lancaster.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Saline County Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jason Davis, a multi-convicted felon, will spend more than 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
In addition to the 188 months’ imprisonment, Chief Judge Baker sentenced Davis, 43, of Benton, to five years supervised release. Davis will begin serving his federal sentence only after he serves his current six-year state sentence for first degree domestic battery, which began in 2023. During Davis’s federal sentencing, Chief Judge Baker took into consideration Davis’s lengthy and violent criminal history.
Davis was indicted on June 6, 2023, in a two-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. On October 16, 2024, Davis pled guilty to both counts in the indictment. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on May 3, 2023, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AG&F) received a call reporting four people that were trespassing on private property in Saline County. Officers with AG&F initiated contact with all four suspects and identified Davis as the owner of the vehicle on the property. While speaking with the suspects, officers observed a sawed-off, 20-gauge Harrington and Richardson shotgun in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Officers then located 20-gauge shotgun shells in the vehicle that matched the live round found in the shotgun.
Chief Judge Baker determined Davis to be an Armed Career Criminal due to numerous prior violent convictions, included four different convictions for second degree battery, two different convictions for first degree domestic battery, and convictions for third degree battery, third degree domestic battery, aggravated assault, and terroristic threatening.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the AG&F. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katie Hinojosa.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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Bryant Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Montiz Tucker, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr.
In addition to the 20 years’ imprisonment, Judge Marshall sentenced Tucker, 30, of Bryant, to five years supervised release. Tucker was indicted on April 5, 2023, in a three-count indictment charging conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. On May 16, 2024, Tucker plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on April 4, 2023, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) performed a controlled delivery of a package that had been intercepted and discovered to contain nearly four kilograms of illicit fentanyl pills. The package, later confirmed to contain 35,636 illicit fentanyl pills, was destined for a residence in Jacksonville, Arkansas, where Tucker accepted the package. Agents immediately executed a federal search warrant and Tucker was found inside the residence, along with two other individuals and the package. Tucker’s bedroom was discovered to contain additional fentanyl pills, cocaine, marijuana, and a loaded Glock 43 firearm.
Classified as a career offender, Tucker’s sentence was based on the offense as well as his documented criminal history involving convictions for possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, cocaine, other controlled substances without a prescription such as oxycodone, Xanax, Promethazine and codeine, and illegal possession of a firearm.
The investigation was conducted by the HSI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Being A Felon in Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Marcus Venson, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On August 24, 2023, Venson, 45, of Little Rock, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Venson to three years supervised release. Venson was indicted on November 2, 2022, in a second superseding indictment, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An investigation revealed that on March 18, 2018, the Little Rock Police Department responded to a call of a theft that just occurred at a residence. The caller at the scene advised officers that a person drove to a nearby residence and entered the residence. Officers located Venson’s car outside and discovered he was inside the residence and carrying a television toward the front door. Venson, who was ordered to put the television down and show his hands, stated, “I’m just trying to steal stuff.” At this time, officers observed a silver firearm in Venson’s pocket, but Venson stated he did not have a firearm, while at the same time touching the firearm. Venson was placed into custody after officers ordered him to come out of the residence. During a search of Venson, officers recovered a firearm, ammunition, and phencyclidine (PCP).
Venson is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his violent criminal history that includes convictions for aggravated assault, terroristic threatening, residential burglary, and battery in the second degree. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Crews and John Ray White.
# # #
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Sin City Deciples Founder Sentenced to 360 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Kenneth Christopher McGhee a/k/a “Sonny,” “Angel,” age 75, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after being found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and being a drug user in possession of a firearm following an 18-day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
McGhee was sentenced to 360 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere. McGhee served as the “Founder” of the entire club and lead the conspiracy for decades, including during the charged period between 2009-2021. As the “Founder,” McGhee commanded and oversaw multiple acts of extortion and violence, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder in retaliation for the death of a fellow Sin City member, and conspiracy to distribute large amounts of cocaine. At the time of his arrest, he unlawfully possessed at least 8 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
The agencies involved in this prosecution were: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. Also providing assistance were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick and Michael J. Toth.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Pharmacy Burglary Conspirators Arraigned Today in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—On July 30, 2024, in Houston, Texas, the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated the arrests of twenty-four co-conspirators following a superseding indictment in the Eastern District of Arkansas. The arrests follow the initial indictment and arrest of eighteen people from the Houston, Texas, area in November 2023. Defendants arrested in July appeared on the superseding indictment in the Eastern District of Arkansas today before United States Magistrate Joseph J. Volpe. The superseding indictment charges conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Schedule II through V controlled substances, as well as pharmacy burglary, conspiracy to commit pharmacy burglary, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Keith Brown, 34, of Houston, Texas, and 41 others were named in this superseding indictment.
From February 2022 to November 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration Little Rock District Office (DEA LRDO) identified more than twenty pharmacy burglaries and thefts of pharmaceutical narcotics in Arkansas. In each of the burglaries, the suspects used similar methods of entry and tools, as well as matching clothing and unique footwear. The stolen pharmaceuticals including, oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup, were transported to Houston, Texas, where they were sold illicitly. Intelligence developed by the DEA LRDO and the Houston Police Department Northeast Division Crime Suppression Team identified the drug trafficking organization as being comprised of documented local gang members from the 5th Ward area in Houston, Texas. Following the initial indictment, DEA identified 24 additional co-conspirators who participated in numerous burglaries in 31 states. The scope of the burglary ring encompasses the theft of hundreds of thousands of pharmaceutical drugs with a street value of more than $12 million dollars. Investigators also seized eleven firearms, approximately $79,000 in U.S. currency, and custom jewelry retailing at approximately $510,000.
The current case is similar in kind and scope to a 2016 case indicted in the Eastern District of Arkansas in which twenty-four members of a local Houston 5th Ward gang, ‘The Trill Fam,’ were prosecuted for multi-state pharmacy burglaries and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. One current defendant, Thristian Duplechin, was prosecuted in the 2016 indictment, served a federal sentence, and returned to the same criminal activity.
“These defendants were part of a criminal organization whose objective was to break into pharmacies nationwide to steal narcotics that they peddled on the streets,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “This case exemplifies the hard work put in by federal, state, and local agencies working together to infiltrate and dismantle violent gangs whose main mission is for profit and the destruction of communities. Our office is committed to prosecuting multi-state criminal organizations that effect not only the Eastern District of Arkansas, but citizens across the United States.”
“This criminal organization prioritized money and greed over the safety and well-being of the American people. Their goal was to sell stolen pharmaceuticals in our neighborhoods for easy money,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer, DEA New Orleans Division. “Through the DEA’s investigative efforts across the country, that spanned nearly three years, we were able to link this drug trafficking organization to more than 200 pharmacy burglaries across 31 states and ultimately make our communities safer.”
The defendants, all from the greater Houston, Texas area, were arrested in July.
All defendants charged in Count 1 only.
Count and Penalties
Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance: 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C) & 846
Not more than 20 years imprisonment.
Not less than 3 years supervised release.
Not more than $1,000,000 fine.
$100 Special Assessment
Defendant Age Defendant Age Paul Roosevelt Banks, III 30 Joseph Takeem Jones 34 Carl Anthony Brooks, Jr. 33 Torrey Jones 46 Christopher John Closure 39 Cameron Isiah Joshua 22 Chazz Eugene Davis 39 Dontae Eugene Lewis 43 Louis Dickerson, Jr. 42 Shaun Kardover Lewis, Jr. 25 Isaiah Dale Duncan 22 Kimia Tranese Ratcliff 26 Thristian Davonte Duplechin 31 Ario Decleo Stephens 25 Jaevion Armond Hackett 21 Keyia Rochelle Thomas 34 Markeesha Kenya Hampton 28 James Glen Turk 32 James Dionte Hood 32 Kerry Lewis Walker 37 Jasmine Shanee Howard 23 Alvin Bernard Whidby, II 43 Redrick Dewayne Jackson 33 Jonathan Marijahlee Williams 37Investigators with the DEA LRDO worked in conjunction with the following law enforcement partners:
DEA New Orleans Division (Little Rock District Office, Fayetteville Resident Office, Shreveport Resident Office, Mobile Resident Office),
DEA Special Operations Division,
DEA Houston Division (Houston TDS Group, Galveston Resident Office),
DEA Omaha Division,
DEA Rocky Mountain Division (Salt Lake City District Office, Cheyenne Resident Office),
DEA Atlanta Division (Columbia District Office),
DEA Miami Division (Pensacola District Office),
FBI Little Rock Field Office,
FBI Cast Team,
U.S. Marshals Service,
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics,
Harris County Sheriff’s Office,
Houston Police Department Northeast Division Crime Suppression Team,
Houston Police Department CID,
Arkansas State Police, and other Arkansas local law enforcement partners.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anne Gardner and Amanda Fields.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and Being a Felon in Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Roy Edsel Heifner, Jr., classified as an armed career criminal based on his multiple prior convictions, will spend 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in the distribution of controlled substances, including fentanyl, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Monday by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On February 4, 2020, Heifner, 76, of College Station, Arkansas, was indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm. In a superseding indictment filed on February 7, 2023, Heifner was charged with six counts related to the distribution of Schedule II substances, including fentanyl and oxycodone, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
At the conclusion of a jury trial on March 1, 2023, the federal jury found Heifner guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone, as well as two counts possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone, and of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the 180-month sentence, Judge Rudofsky sentenced Heifner to serve three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On September 3, 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received information Heifner was distributing various types of prescription medication from his residence located in College Station. An investigation into Heifner’s background revealed that he was a convicted felon with numerous arrests. On October 17, 2019, a search warrant was executed at Heifner’s residence where law enforcement seized over 300 pills resembling oxycodone but which were in fact fentanyl, as well as approximately 100 pills that were confirmed to be oxycodone and hydrocodone. Law enforcement also seized two firearms and more than $300,000 in United States currency believed to be drug proceeds during the search of Heifner’s residence.
After Heifner was first indicted on February 4, 2020, he was released on bond. While on bond, an investigation revealed that he continued to sell pills. In July 2021, law enforcement made controlled purchases of pills from Heifner at his residence, and while again the pills appeared to be oxycodone, they were confirmed as fentanyl. Heifner was taken back into custody and remained detained until his trial.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Arkansas State Police, Saline County Sheriff’s Office, and the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anne Gardner and Reese Lancaster.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Texarkana Physician Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Federal Prison for Prescribing Controlled Substances Without a Legitimate Medical PurposeRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, AR – A Texarkana Physician was sentenced today to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised on two counts of Distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance Without an Effective Prescription and 12 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release on two counts of Distribution of a Schedule V Controlled Substance Without an Effective Prescription, all to run concurrently. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Texarkana.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), Tactical Diversion and Diversion Groups initiated an investigation into Dr. Lonnie Parker, age 59, of Texarkana, Arkansas in 2018 after receiving complaints from local law enforcement about a suspected pill mill and possible overdose death of a patient. Investigators analyzed prescription drug monitoring data attributed to Dr. Parker, and the investigation revealed Dr. Parker prescribing controlled substances, to include opiates, benzodiazepines, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup with unusual frequency and in unusually large quantities in the Texarkana area. In the two-year period analyzed, Dr. Parker prescribed approximately 1.2 million dosage units of opiates, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, to approximately 1,508 patients (approximately 847 dosage units per patient). Dr. Parker also prescribed approximately 16 gallons of Promethazine with Codeine cough syrup to approximately 29 patients during the same time period. These prescriptions included several for combinations of narcotics and sedatives to high diversion-risk patients.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), Tactical Diversion and Diversion Group, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Texarkana Police Department, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS) investigated the case.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Anne Gardner and Assistant United Sates Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
West Memphis Man Sentenced to over 16 Years in Federal Prison for Being A Felon in Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Cornelius Corwine Sandlin, a multi-convicted felon, will spend 195 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
On February 9, 2024, Sandlin, 46, West Memphis, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Moody also sentenced Sandlin to three years supervised release. Sandlin was indicted on February 7, 2023, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An investigation by the West Memphis Police Department (WMPD) revealed that on January 20, 2022, WMPD Violent Crime detectives received a tip from a confidential source that Sandlin was trying to sell the confidential source an AR-style rifle from his motel room for approximately $300. The detectives conducted a surveillance operation and observed Sandlin exiting a hotel room clutching an object thought to be a firearm inside his jacket and enter his vehicle. Marked WMPD patrol units conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in Sandlin’s driveway. Sandlin fled on foot and was able to elude law enforcement at that time.
During a search of the Sandlin’s vehicle, detectives discovered the Hämmerli, model Tac R1 22c .22 caliber, rifle laying in the front passenger seat. The rifle was loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. Detectives also located a casino players card ID and a pill bottle with Sandlin’s name on them. Through further investigation, Sandlin was located and taken into custody on February 24, 2022. At the time of his arrest, Sandlin was in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, plastic baggies, a scale, ammunition, and a CB radio.
Sandlin is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his violent criminal history that includes: robbery, theft of property, aggravated robbery, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver, possession of ecstasy with purpose to deliver, and possession of cocaine with purpose to deliver. Therefore, the maximum penalty Sandlin faced was not less than 15 years and not more than life in prison, no more than five years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the West Memphis Police Department and the. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Reese Lancaster.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Joseph Riggins, Jr., will spend 25 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in a person’s death. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
On November 29, 2023, Riggins, 33, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Judge Moody also sentenced Riggins to three years supervised released. Riggins was indicted on April 5, 2023, on one count of knowingly and intentionally distributing a mixture and substance containing fentanyl that resulted in death. The maximum penalty Riggins faced was not less than 20 years to life in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on July 31, 2022, Riggins engaged in a series of text messages with D.M. about Riggins trading heroin to D.M. in exchange for sex. On August 1, 2022, Riggins met with D.M. at a local motel in North Little Rock, Arkansas, where Riggins provided D.M. with a controlled substance containing fentanyl. D.M. later used that controlled substance in the motel room. The following day, August 2, 2022, motel staff members found D.M. deceased inside her motel room. D.M.’s body was subsequently transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for forensic analysis. An autopsy later determined that D.M.’s death was caused by a mixed drug toxicity of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. The fentanyl in D.M.’s body at the time of examination was at a level significantly higher than where lethal levels of fentanyl typically begin, according to the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy.
The investigation was conducted by the North Little Rock Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gordon.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Jury Finds Searcy Landlord Guilty of Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion and Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Searcy man has been convicted of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine at the conclusion of a two-day trial. On Tuesday, a federal jury found Thomas Ray Kelso, 74, guilty on all four counts for which he was indicted: three counts of sex trafficking and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The jury returned their verdict after deliberating for approximately two and a half hours. United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr. presided over the trial and will sentence Kelso at a later date. Kelso faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
“This defendant intentionally lured vulnerable victims to live in his apartments so that he could coerce sexual acts in exchange for some of life’s essentials—shelter and electricity,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Once they fell behind on their rent or utility payments, or refused to continue to perform sexual acts, he turned off their power until they performed sexual acts with him. The conduct exhibited by Kelso is reprehensible and the jury’s verdict sends a clear message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
Kelso was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 1, 2023. Prior to that, an investigation by the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force revealed that Kelso frequently distributed methamphetamine at an apartment complex in Searcy. Kelso, who owned the apartment complex, exploited female residents in the complex and forced them into performing sex acts in order to keep the power on their apartment, satisfy their rent obligations, or obtain illegal narcotics.
The investigation also revealed that when one woman refused Kelso’s sexual advances, he pulled her electricity meter to cut her power. Kelso also employed one woman to recruit other women for him so he could exploit them to engage in performing sexual acts on him.
The statutory penalty for each sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion carries a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than 15 years and no more than 30 years in prison. The statutory penalty for possession with intent to distribute carries a maximum sentence of not more than 20 years in prison. Each sex trafficking count carries a potential penalty of not more than a $250,000 fine and not less than five years to life of supervised release. The possession with intent to distribute count carries a potential penalty of not more than a $1,000,000 fine and not less than three years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Searcy Police Department and Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Shelby Shelton.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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U.S. District Judge Sentences Three Men from Central Arkansas to Federal Prison on Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK— Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentencing of Terry Lydell Cook, Derrick Owens, and Howard Jerome Jenkins, to be incarcerated in federal prison on firearm related charges. All three defendants illegally possessed firearms after being convicted of numerous violent offenses and drug offenses, including domestic batteries, attempted rape, and robbery. The sentences for Cook, Owens, and Jenkins of 120 months, 102 months, and 96 months, respectively, were handed down on Wednesday by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
Terry Lydell Cook, 33, Little Rock, Arkansas
Cook, a previously convicted felon, was indicted on March 2, 2022, in a one-count indictment for possession of a firearm by a felon. On June 2, 2023, Cook pled guilty to the charge in the indictment.
On March 27, 2021, the Little Rock Police Department was dispatched to a residence after reports of a shooting. When police arrived, witnesses stated that Cook was involved in physical altercation with a female, causing visible injury, and fired multiple shots in the air from a handgun. A witness stated Cook had a handgun and was threatening to shoot whoever drove up to the house. Cook was gone when police arrived.
After investigation, the Little Rock Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Cook. On April 2, 2021, officers with Arkansas Community Correction located Cook at a residence and during a subsequent search, officers located a firearm.
An investigation revealed that Cook had numerous prior convictions for residential burglary, as well as convictions for simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms. Cook also has convictions for terroristic threatening, possession of a firearm by certain persons, and domestic battery, as well as more than a dozen incidents alleging domestic violence.
Judge Miller sentenced Cook to serve 10 years in federal prison, the maximum permitted under the law, and also sentenced Cook to three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Little Rock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens prosecuted the case.
Derrick Owens, 44, Little Rock, Arkansas
Owens, a previously convicted felon, was indicted on August 8, 2019, on one count for possession of a firearm by a felon. On July 27, 2020, Owens pled guilty to the superseding indictment.
On April 25, 2017, Little Rock Police Department officers responded to an area on Colonel Glenn Road for a disturbance where shots were fired. Officers made contact with a witness who stated a black male, later identified as Owens, assaulted a female at the apartment complex. The witness stated she yelled for Owens to stop and as the female victim ran towards the witness’ vehicle, Owens followed behind the victim and pulled out a firearm, pointing it at both the witness and the victim. During the assault on the victim, Owens threatened to shoot her before she was able to flee the area.
Officers saw Owens in the parking lot of the complex in a vehicle being driven by a family member and initiated a traffic stop. Owens was aware he had an active warrant for failure to register as a sex offender and during questioning, he gave officers his brother’s name. Owens did provide officers consent to search the vehicle where a firearm was located in a bag in the floorboard on the passenger’s side where Owens had been sitting.
The investigation revealed that prior to this offense, Owens had previously been convicted of robbery, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of PCP, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal attempt to commit rape. He also has convictions for escape, failure to register as a sex offender, possession of firearms by certain persons, and possession of prohibited articles.
Judge Miller sentenced Owens to serve 102 months in federal prison and also sentenced Owens to three years’ supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Little Rock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Edward Walker prosecuted the case.
Howard Jerome Jenkins, 33, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Jenkins, a previously convicted felon, was indicted on October 26, 2021, for illegally possessing a firearm, and pled guilty to the charge on September 16, 2022.
On April 22, 2021, a North Little Rock Police Department officer responded to a one-vehicle accident at the intersection of Donovan Briley and Military Road. An investigation revealed that Jenkins was the driver and determined to be impaired at which time he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Jenkins was in possession of a firearm.
Jenkins had previously been convicted of delivery of cocaine, first-degree battery, terroristic threatening, possession of methamphetamine, and domestic battery.
Judge Miller sentenced Jenkins to 96 months in federal prison and also sentenced Jenkins to three years’ supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the North Little Rock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jana Harris prosecuted the case.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Jonesboro Man Who Instructed Young Girls to Self-Harm, Drink Toilet Water, and Film Child Pornography Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Justin Lee Palmer, who “coached” young girls who were anorexic and encouraged them to self-harm and film child pornography, will spend 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Thursday by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker0.
“A vile, disgusting, reprobate has finally received his due, the maximum sentence under the law,” said Ross. “We are thankful for the tireless work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the bravery of the victims and their families to bring a stop to his crimes. Parents everywhere should heed this case as reason to monitor and engage with your children’s use of social media.”
An investigation revealed that in March 2020, FBI agents in New Jersey identified a user on KIK messenger who had sexually abused a 9-year-old girl and distributed videos of the abuse to other KIK users. One of the users who received the child pornography was identified by the username “skipdinnergetmethin.” Agents were able to connect the IP addresses associated with that username to Palmer, of Jonesboro, Arkansas. A search of one of Palmer’s cell phones revealed numerous images and videos that contained child pornography.
The investigation further revealed that Palmer, 44, would pose as a 15-year-old girl, befriend teen and preteen girls, and “coach” them on how to be anorexic. He would instruct the victims to film themselves pulling on their fat areas while nude to make them feel disgusted and motivated to lose weight. Agents discovered that Palmer also directed victims to film themselves performing other humiliating and harmful acts, such as cutting demeaning words into their skin, drinking toilet water and their own urine, and engaging in sexually explicit activities.
In April 2020, Palmer asked a young female on KIK messenger, “what are your stats?” to which the female responded, “cw [current weight] 93 pounds. Five feet one inch. Female. 13 years old. Goal weight 75.” Palmer instructed the minor female to “suck in your belly so I can see your ribs.” This minor victim appears in 89 photographs and videos sent to Palmer, 71 of which depict her engaging in sexual, humiliating, or self-harming acts.
“Mr. Palmer's actions were revolting and deplorable,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder. “Today’s sentence showcases FBI Little Rock’s commitment to utilizing all available resources to protect innocent children from predators who seem to harm them.”
On October 8, 2020, Palmer was indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to production of child pornography on August 4, 2023. Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Palmer to a lifetime of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge prosecuted the case.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Leaders of Methamphetamine Ring Each Receive 200-Month Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—The two leaders of a large-scale methamphetamine organization have been sentenced to a combined 400 months in federal prison. Adan Mendoza, 36, of Dallas, Texas, and Brian I. Wilson, 37, of Little Rock, each received 200-month prison sentences — which equals 16 years, 8 months — from United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr. Judge Moody sentenced Mendoza today, and Wilson on July 12, 2024. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentences.
Wilson and Mendoza were the two lead defendants in a 20-count, nine-defendant indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury on September 8, 2022. Both Wilson and Mendoza pleaded guilty in March 2024 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine. In their plea agreements, each defendant was held responsible for distribution of between 5-15 kilograms of methamphetamine, a range which carried a 10-year minimum sentence.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Moody sentenced each defendant to five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
All nine defendants have pleaded guilty in the case. In addition to the sentences handed out to Wilson and Mendoza, Judge Moody sentenced David Chad Lane, 47, of North Little Rock, to 96 months in prison, and Samuel L. Johnson, 37, of Little Rock, to 65 months in prison. Judge Moody will sentence the remaining defendants at a later date.
In this case, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating a methamphetamine trafficking ring in central Arkansas in late 2021. The ring was headed locally Wilson, and supplied by Mendoza, out of Dallas. Wilson acquired methamphetamine from Mendoza in Texas and either personally transported it by car, or had associates transport it for him, to central Arkansas weekly. Wilson and others then distributed the methamphetamine to numerous people in Arkansas.
On two different occasions, the DEA used a confidential informant to purchase a kilogram of methamphetamine directly from Wilson. Also, in February 2022, the DEA seized approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of cocaine from Wilson following a traffic stop when Wilson was returning from a trip to Dallas.
Mendoza is also implicated in a separate federal conspiracy in Texas that began in 2019. While DEA was conducting surveillance on Mendoza in Dallas, agents observed Wilson meeting with him. During additional surveillance operations in Dallas, DEA agents observed an associate of Wilson (co-defendant Michael Odom) arrive at Mendoza’s house in a Corvette, meet with Mendoza, and then leave with a large bag. Following a high-speed chase with police, local law enforcement eventually arrested Odom and recovered 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine that Odom received from Mendoza.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, with assistance from the Arkansas State Police, North Little Rock Police Department, Little Rock Police Department, Lonoke Sheriff’s Office, and Arkansas Community Correction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Repeat Sex Offender from Michigan Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Numerous Sexual Offenses Against A ChildRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jeremy Robert Ward, a registered sex offender from Michigan, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on Thursday. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Ward was previously convicted in 2013 in Michigan of three counts of possession of child sexual abusive material and one count of accosting a child for an immoral purpose.
Ward met the 12-year-old minor victim online in September 2022 when he added her to his Snapchat account. He exchanged messages with the victim for approximately three weeks before traveling to Arkansas from his home in Michigan to meet her. On October 15, 2022, he met her face-to-face when he met her in his pickup truck while she was riding her bike near her neighborhood in Bryant. During her encounter with Ward, the victim began surreptitiously recording a portion of her exchange with him. On the video, Ward told her, “I was hoping to take you home” and “I just wish she [her mom] would let you go, especially since I drove all the way down here.” Ward also told the minor victim that she must “think I’m gonna kidnap you or something,” to which she replied, “You probably are about to at this point.” He later asked if she knew of any “private spots,” in an attempt to find a more secluded place to be with her.
Around the same time, using an application on her cell phone, her father noticed she was outside of the established boundary where she was permitted to be. Her parents went to her location, and her father found the minor victim laying in the grass with Ward, whose pants were around his ankles. Ward then fled into the woods.
The minor victim testified at trial that while she was in the field with Ward, he attempted to commit sexual acts with her. Subsequent investigation revealed that the victim and Ward communicated through video messages, some of which Ward recorded on his phone. The recorded video messages were recovered from Ward’s phone and included video and still images of the nude minor victim in the shower.
After a three-day trial that concluded on January 24, 2024, a federal jury found Ward, 33, of Marine City, Michigan, guilty on all nine counts for which he was indicted: one count of interstate travel with the purpose of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity with a minor, six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of travel with the purpose to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor.
Judge Baker also sentenced Ward to a lifetime of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bryant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Amanda Fields.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Pine Bluff Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Tristan Larandell Lee, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for illegally possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a federal drug-trafficking crime. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
An investigation revealed that on Monday, March 8, 2021, Arkansas State Police troopers responded to a traffic accident on the median of I-530 after receiving reports of this vehicle being driven in a reckless manner. Arkansas State Police troopers located Lee in the driver’s seat. The responding trooper found Lee asleep. He struck the front passenger window which woke Lee up, at which time Lee attempted to start his vehicle and flee.
Lee was given commands to exit his vehicle but refused to do so. The trooper eventually opened the passenger door to remove Lee from the vehicle, who was placed into custody due to combative behavior. During an inventory search of Lee’s vehicle, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, assorted pills, drug paraphernalia, and an Anderson Manufacturing, AM-15 rifle equipped with a 60-round drum magazine were located.
On June 8, 2022, Lee, 39, of Pine Bluff, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. On March 13, 2024, Lee pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
United States District Judge Moody sentenced Lee to 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and five years’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, ordering the sentences be served consecutively to one another. Judge Moody also sentenced Lee to five years’ supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Arkansas State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Fields.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Assault and Murder a United States Judge and Federal Law Enforcement OfficerRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE—Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that a Jackson, Mississippi, man has pleaded guilty to one count of threatening to assault and murder a United States judge and one count of threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer. Joshua Matthew Goodin, 40, entered this guilty plea on Monday, July 1, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Christy D. Comstock.
United States District Judge Stephen R. Bough, Western District of Missouri, will sentence Goodin at a later date. Threatening a federal official is punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, not more than three years of supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.
The investigation into Goodin revealed that on or about July 5, 2022, while an inmate at the Washington County Detention Facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Goodin sent two letters to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jackson, Mississippi. In the letter, Goodin stated in part, “I swear I’m going to kill you all, I’m gonna blow your f****** office up. …Your (sic) gonna die I promise nothing or no one will stop me.”
An investigation further revealed that Goodin sent a second letter stating in part, “I’m Joshua Goodin I was recently in Federal Court on a gun charge. The b**** ass d.a. (name redacted), he talked real bad about me. For that he will pay with his life, him and the judge don’t understand who I really am.”
Goodin was indicted on July 25, 2023.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Marshals Service.
Sherwood Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Karen Hoskins will spend 15 months in federal prison for money laundering. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On February 3, 2021, Brian Jeffrey Litton and eight others were indicted on conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other charges. Litton is the son of Hoskins, 63, of Sherwood. Litton was subsequently released to home detention with electronic monitoring. Litton’s bond conditions required him to reside in the Eastern District of Arkansas and to maintain regular contact with his United States Probation Officer and his defense attorney.
An investigation revealed that in May 2021, Litton failed to report to the United States Probation Office and failed to maintain contact with his defense counsel, and his whereabouts became unknown. Litton was declared a fugitive and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Later in May, Hoskins, who denied knowing Litton’s location, returned his electronic monitoring equipment, and represented that Litton removed the monitoring equipment and was missing.
In August 2021, Litton was determined to be living in a wooded area of Pulaski County, and Hoskins was observed meeting with Litton in this remote location. Evidence in the case, including text communications, revealed that Hoskins knew Litton’s whereabouts beginning in July 2021, and that she intentionally concealed Litton from law enforcement.
Through the investigation, it was learned that during 2020 and 2021 Hoskins engaged in a money laundering scheme with her son, in which Hoskins received drug proceeds from Litton in the amount of $2,000 to $5,000 cash on a weekly basis. Hoskins, who knew that her son’s drug trafficking activity was the source of the cash, concealed the drug proceeds at her house to avoid seizure of the money by law enforcement. Litton would retrieve the cash he needed from Hoskins’ home to purchase multiple pound quantities of methamphetamine which he and others distributed in central Arkansas. Hoskins provided Litton with an American Express card to use for living expenses and paid her son’s bills using the drug proceeds. During 2020 and 2021, Hoskins used more than $150,000 in drug proceeds to fund her gambling habit.
On October 6, 2021, Hoskins was charged in a Superseding Indictment with harboring a fugitive. On July 6, 2022, a Second Superseding Indictment was returned charging Hoskins with conspiracy to money launder, as well as five counts of money laundering in connection with her son’s drug trafficking activity. Hoskins pleaded guilty on August 14, 2023, to one count of money laundering.
Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Hoskins to two years of supervised release, and Hoskins was ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $200,000 as part of the plea agreement. There is no parole in the federal system.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anne Gardner.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Beebe Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Pornography, Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor, and Attempted Sex Trafficking of A MinorRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Zachary Bradley will spend 35 years in federal prison for production of child pornography, transfer of obscene materials to a minor, and attempted sex trafficking of a minor. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Thursday, June 20, 2024, by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On approximately October 6, 2021, the minor victim’s stepfather made a report to the Beebe Police Department that the minor victim was raped by Bradley. An investigation revealed that Bradley provided the minor victim with marijuana and alcohol and that he passed out. Once the minor victim woke up, Bradley was performing sexual acts on him. Bradley told the minor victim that if he would continue to engage in sex acts with him, he would give him an allowance.
The investigation further revealed that Bradley had multiple videos on his phone that contained child pornography of another minor, believed to be approximately 13 years old. Another video located on Bradley’s phone was a FaceTime conversation between Bradley and the minor. The video depicted a display of the minor’s genitals to Bradley during the conversation. An additional video from a FaceTime conversation depicted Bradley with his shorts pulled down to reveal his genitals to the minor.
On December 8, 2021, Bradley, 33, of Beebe, was indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts: Counts One, Two, Four, Five, and Six: production of child pornography, Count Three: transfer of obscene material to a minor, and Count Seven: attempted sex trafficking of a minor. On July 27, 2023, Bradley, pleaded guilty to all seven counts in the Indictment.
The maximum penalty Bradley faced on Counts One, Two, Four, Five, and Six was not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in prison. The maximum penalty Bradley faced on Count Three was not more than 10 years in prison. For Count Seven, Bradley faced a maximum penalty of not less than 10 years to life in prison.
Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Bradley to a lifetime of supervised release. Bradley faced a maximum of supervised release of five years to life and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Beebe Police Department and Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Little Rock Man Who Illegally Possessed Firearm Sentenced to over 16 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Christopher Charles Mathis, a multi-convicted felon, will spend more than sixteen years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
On February 13, 2024, Mathis, 43, of Little Rock, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Today, Judge Moody sentenced Mathis to 195 months in the Bureau of Prisons to be followed by three years of supervised released. Mathis, a felon with multiple violent felony convictions, was indicted on May 3, 2023, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Classified as an armed career criminal, Mathis’ sentence was based on the offense as well as his documented violent criminal history. The maximum penalty Mathis faced was not less than 15 years to life in prison, no more than five years on supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
On July 22, 2022, officers from the Little Rock Police Department responded to an apartment complex in the 5000 block of West 65th Street in Little Rock, after receiving a 911 call about a man openly carrying a firearm. Upon arrival, officers spoke with witnesses who identified Mathis as the person carrying the firearm. A witness stated that Mathis did not live at the apartment complex, had previously made threats toward him, and was banned from the complex. Mathis was located on the property and taken into custody. A maintenance man located the firearm behind nearby dumpsters on the property, and witnesses confirmed that it was the same firearm they observed Mathis carrying.
Mathis has prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm as well as prior convictions for residential burglary, domestic battery of a pregnant woman, terroristic threatening, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Little Rock Police Department.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jessie Michael Collins will spend 35 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On January 23, 2024, Collins, 32, of Jacksonville, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of child pornography. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Collins to a lifetime of supervised released. Collins, who had a pending state charge for possession of child pornography, was indicted on April 5, 2023, on two counts of distribution of child pornography. The maximum penalty Collins faced was not less than five years and not more than 20 years in prison on each count and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that Collins used an online chat application to talk to others about sexually exploiting children. Through this online chat application, Collins would engage in conversations about sexually abusing children. He also would receive, view, and share sexually explicit photographs of children with other members in the group. At one point, Collins stated to an undercover agent that he had sexually abused a 12-year-old and, “Lol a 12yo ever since her I’ve wanted younger I know I can’t just go pick one up as hot as that would be[.]”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR