Eight People Indicted for Roles in Large-Scale Heroin Trafficking and Money Laundering Ring

A federal grand jury returned a 47-count indictment against eight people who are accused of taking part in a large-scale heroin trafficking ring that brought drugs into Northeast Ohio and then laundered the profits through numerous bank accounts and the purchase of more than 50 luxury automobiles, law enforcement officials announced today.

The organization, led by Addonnise Wells and Mario Freeman, utilized an apartment on Edgewater Drive in Lakewood as a “stash house” for their heroin before dealing it from homes on East 125th and East 127th streets in Cleveland, according to the indictment.

Freeman and others then laundered their drug profits through Jimmie Goodgame and his wife, Stacey Goodgame, primarily through the purchase of luxury automobiles titled to companies owned by the Goodgames, according to the indictment.

Jimmie Goodgame and others deposited more than $1.5 million in cash into accounts he controlled between 20008 and 2010. The Goodgames had more than 50 automobiles titled to their three companies in 2010, including multiple Range Rovers, Porsches, Audis, Cadillacs, Mercedes Benzs, BMWs, and a Maserati, among other vehicles. The cars were actually driven and controlled by drug dealers, according to the indictment.

“This case shows the nexus between drugs and money,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Drug dealers can’t walk into their neighborhood bank and deposit their ill-gotten cash. It’s crucial to choke off the avenues they use to hide their money.”

Stephen D. Anthony, Supervisor in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office, said: “This case demonstrates the continued successful partnership of federal, state and local law enforcement in Northern Ohio, who are committed to stopping the flow of illegal drugs into our communities. We are also committed to tracking and forfeiting the assets of those individuals who are involved in selling illegal drugs.”

Tracey Warren, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, added: “The long hours tracking down and documenting financial leads allows an investigation to go right to the door of the leader of the money laundering organization.”

The allegations detailed in the indictment stretch from March 2007 through February 2011.

Those charged in the indictment are: Addonnise Wells, 28, of South Euclid; Mario Freeman, 27, of Garfield Heights; Jimmie Goodgame, 41, of Solon; James Jones, 28, of Cleveland; John R. Toone III, 60, of Columbus; Stacy Goodgame, 40, of Reminderville; Dimitris Terry, 39, of Westmont, Illinois; and Aaron Phillips, 28, of Hartville, Ohio.

Wells and Freeman are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. Wells supplied Freeman with heroin, and the two men used 505 (upstairs)/507 (downstairs) East 125th Street and 475 East 127th Street, Cleveland, as distribution centers. They also used 11843 Edgewater Drive, Apartment 302, Lakewood as a “stash house.” Freeman and Wells also engaged in counter-surveillance measures designed to evade law enforcement, according to the indictment.

Freeman in turn supplied heroin to James Jones, according to the indictment.

Wells, Freeman, and John R. Toone, III, are also charged with multiple counts of using a communication facility (a phone) to facilitate a felony.

Freeman, Jimmie Goodgame, Stacy Goodgame, Dimitris Terry and Aaron Phillips are also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Jimmie Goodgame established several businesses, including J&G Enterprises I, LLC and Washington Industries, Inc. to purchase and title vehicles for Goodgame’s drug trafficking clients, according to the indictment.

Stacy Goodgame allowed her husband to use her company, Goodgame Heavenly Cleaning, and her personal name, to title vehicles for his drug trafficking clients. She also allowed her husband to use her business bank account to conduct financial transactions, including cash deposits, checking and electronic withdrawals, for vehicle down payments and financing, according to the indictment.

Jimmie Goodgame made false representations to car dealerships and salespeople in order to obtain vehicles for his drug trafficking clients, and in turn, charged those drug trafficking clients a fee or tax for obtaining the vehicles, according to the indictment.

Jimmie Goodgame also used multiple bank accounts to disguise the nature and amounts of money he received from his drug trafficking clients, and used wire transfers to engage in financial activities on behalf of Freeman, according to the indictment.

In March 2007, $504,520 packaged in heat-sealed plastic was transported in a hidden compartment of a vehicle titled to Goodgame, according to the indictment.

Goodgame made cash deposits of more than $1.5 million between January 2008 and October 2010 in four bank accounts he controlled. Over the same time period, he made withdrawals of more than $1 million for vehicle down payments and financing, according to the indictment.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward F. Feran following an investigation by the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force (NOLETF), the FBI, IRS, Cleveland Police Department, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area agents and Hotel Interdiction Team Task Force.

The NOLETF is a long standing multi-agency task force comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Heights Police Department (CHPD), Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Euclid Police Department (EPD), Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Police Department, Strongsville Police Department (SPD), University Heights Police Department (UHPD), and Shaker Heights Police Department (SHPD). The NOLETF is also one of the initial Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiatives. The HIDTA Program supports and helps coordinate numerous Ohio drug task forces in their efforts to eliminate, or reduce drug-trafficking in the State of Ohio.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.