Colorado Springs Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Felon in Possession of Firearms and Possession of 100 Percent Pure Methamphetamine

Defendant Frequently Traveled by Truck to Glendale, Arizona to Pick up Coolers with Methamphetamine Hidden in Them

DENVER – Roger Wade Anderson was sentenced last week by U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello to serve 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, followed by 5 years on supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of just under 10 pounds of 100 percent pure methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and ATF Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Ken Croke announced. Anderson, who appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, was remanded at its conclusion.

Anderson was first indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on March 10, 2016. He pled guilty to the gun and drug crimes on July 18, 2016. He was sentenced by Judge Arguello on October 18, 2016.

According to court documents, including the stipulated facts contained in the defendant’s plea agreement, on July 24, 2015, law enforcement first became aware that an individual named Roger Anderson was distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the Colorado Springs area. Multiple independent sources confirmed the fact that an individual named Anderson would drive his red Ford F250 truck to Glendale, Arizona to pick up the methamphetamine. During the investigation into Anderson, law enforcement discovered that he would drive several times a month to Glendale, Arizona, stay in a local hotel in a pre-paid room, and would pick up a cooler that had insulation removed so that the methamphetamine was packed in the container’s sides instead.

During one of Anderson’s trips to Arizona, law enforcement conducted surveillance, confirming he left his Colorado Springs home, traveled to Glendale, Arizona, and then drove back to the Colorado Springs area. As the defendant returned to Colorado Springs via I-25, a traffic stop was initiated. During a pat search officers found plastic baggies of methamphetamine in both front pockets. A Colorado Springs Police Officer with a drug certified canine conducted a sniff search of the exterior of the Ford truck. The dog hit on the passenger’s side front door and the driver side of a camper which was in the rear of the truck. Following the obtaining of a search warrant, agents and officers found a cooler in the bed of the pickup truck. When officers removed the cooler and opened it, the cooler contained fish and shrimp which were packed in ice. Officers then removed the liner of the cooler, and observed ten packages of suspected methamphetamine concealed within the cooler. Officers and agents also conducted a search of Anderson’s residence. In addition to finding methamphetamine, amphetamine, and drug paraphernalia, they also found a 12 gauge shotgun in the living room and a .357 revolver in a large black safe. The revolver had been confirmed stolen.

“Methamphetamine is a lethal poison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. “Armed dealers bringing that poison into Colorado communities will go to federal prison for a long, long time.”

“Anderson was a major player in the cycle of violence and drugs in southern Colorado, making multiple trips a month to pump more meth into southern Colorado. The number of lives he has ruined, both addicts and their loved ones, is incalculable,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Ken Croke. “By peddling death, violent criminals like Anderson destabilize the strength of an entire community. Our close partnership with El Paso Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Springs PD and other law enforcement in Southern Colorado is designed to remove the insidious parasite of crime so that innocent citizens can live peacefully in their communities.”

This case was investigated by Colorado Springs office of ATF, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Springs Police Department. Anderson was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Bohn.

Tonawanda Man Sentenced on Multiple Gun and Drug Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Elijah Iverson, 39, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted following a jury trial of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, maintaining a drug involved premises, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, was sentenced to 180 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Joel L. Violanti, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that on October 22, 2014, the defendant called the Tonawanda, NY Police Department and stated that an individual with a gun was attempting to get into his Kenmore Avenue apartment. When officers arrived, there was no sign of the alleged gunman.

Subsequently, officers went into Iverson’s apartment to speak with him about the incident. As the defendant was talking with officers, a police canine detected narcotics in the apartment. Iverson admitted to having a small amount of marijuana and powder cocaine which he surrendered to the officers but refused a full search of the apartment. As a result, officers obtained a search warrant and returned the next day.

During the full search, officers recovered an assault weapon, ammunition, a pound of marijuana and cash in a safe in Iverson’s bedroom closet. In addition, officers recovered more rounds of ammunition and approximately two ounces of crack cocaine in a bedroom used by the defendant’s young daughter.     

Iverson has three prior felony convictions in state court which prevented him from legally possessing firearms.      

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jerome C. Uschold and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict, New York Field Division.

KC Man, Linked to Drive-by Murder of 3-Year Old, Sentenced for Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man – charged in state court for his role in the murder of a 3-year-old boy killed in a drive-by shooting – was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Sulif I. Wilkins, 26, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 10 years in federal prison without parole, the maximum statutory penalty for the offense.

On June 28, 2016, Wilkins pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. By pleading guilty, Wilkins admitted that he was in possession of a Taurus .40-caliber handgun on June 17, 2015.

According to court documents, Wilkins was identified during an investigation into the death of a 3-year-old boy who was murdered in his bed in a drive-by shooting on May 31, 2015. (Wilkins is charged in state court with murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action related to that crime.) Kansas City police officers went to an apartment complex to execute a pick-up order on Wilkins on June 17, 2015. At the apartment complex, Wilkins was seen walking to a blue Chevrolet Cavalier. As officers approached him, Wilkins pulled the gun from his waistband, threw it in the car, and ran towards the apartments. Wilkins was taken into custody and the Taurus handgun was recovered.

According to court documents, the firearm had been stolen. Wilkins previously used the same firearm to shoot at the mother of his child due to a minor argument over a cellphone. After Wilkins shot at the woman, he threatened her life and the lives of her mother and siblings if she ever went to the police.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Wilkins has prior felony convictions for robbery, resisting arrest and assault.

In November 2006, Wilkins robbed and carjacked someone at gunpoint then fled from police. While on probation for that crime, in May 2008 Wilkins fired numerous shots into an automobile occupied by two individuals at a BP gas station. Some of the bullets hit an occupied postal truck. In May 2013, according to court documents, Wilkins got into an argument with the woman he was dating and threatened her, destroyed her property, pulled her hair and smacked her repeatedly in the face. Four days later, according to court documents, Wilkins got into another argument with individuals standing outside of a residence and attempted to kill the individuals by firing numerous shots at them as they stood on the porch of the residence. In May 2015, Wilkins got into a heated argument with his girlfriend, took a knife and slashed the tires on her car. One day after that incident, according to court documents, a 3-year-old boy was murdered in his bed, due in part to Wilkins’s actions.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.