RICHMOND, Va. – A Fredericksburg man was sentenced today to
22 years in prison for his role in a heroin distribution conspiracy and for
being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial,
Dustin Washington, 35, joined a conspiracy in late 2014 with several other
individuals to sell heroin in the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County areas.
Over the course of the conspiracy Washington sold fentanyl, a more potent,
synthetic form of heroin, at least three times, including twice to an
undercover officer. Subsequently, law
enforcement used a confidential source to make controlled purchases of heroin
from Washington in 2016. Audio recordings made during the controlled purchases
revealed that Washington used other members of the conspiracy to provide him
heroin to sell. On April 17, 2017, law enforcement executed search warrants on
the homes of two other co-conspirators, finding more than 75 grams of heroin,
and large quantities of cocaine and Molly. While executing a search warrant on
Washington’s vehicle, law enforcement found an AR-15 rifle in the trunk. From
2014 through 2017, Washington and his co-conspirators distributed and possessed
with the intent to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin.
On January 25, 2018, a federal jury convicted Washington of
conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1 kilogram or
more of heroin, and of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. At trial
Washington testified that he was not a part of the conspiracy and had never
seen the AR-15 found in his vehicle. At the sentencing hearing, the court found
that Washington had committed perjury during his trial testimony, resulting in
a sentencing guidelines range of 235-292 months.
Co-defendants Earnest Wright, Tyrell Brown, Michael Fox, and
Sheronda Fox, all pleaded guilty and received sentences of 20, 18, 17, and 9
years, respectively.
This case is 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 make our neighborhoods safer for
everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of
the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all
U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and
tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective,
locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of Virginia, Scott W. Hoernke, Acting Special Agent in Charge for the
Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Adam S.
Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the
announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant
U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.
The case was investigated by the Fredericksburg FBI
Narcotics Task Force, which includes the DEA, FBI, Virginia State Police,
Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Spotsylvania
County Sheriff’s Office, and Fredericksburg Police Department.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of
the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court
documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for
the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No.
3:17-cr-104.
No comments:
Post a Comment