Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Little Rock Community Activist Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drug, Gun Crimes


LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man who is a self-professed former longtime gang member who turned toward community activism later in life has been sentenced to prison on drug and gun charges. On Friday, Chris Alexander, 42, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by United States District Court Judge D.P. Marshall Jr., after admitting to selling large quantities of marijuana and possessing guns.

Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence. After being indicted on multiple gun and drug charges on February 6, 2018, Alexander pleaded guilty on January 16, 2019, to single counts of distribution of marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. His 120-month total sentence includes 60-month sentences on each count, to run consecutively. Judge Marshall also sentenced Alexander to three years of supervised release.

Alexander, who said in the hearing on Friday that he started an organization intending on teaching Little Rock youth the dangers of gangs and violence, admitted that he sold a pound of marijuana to a confidential informant in 2017. On September 8, 2017, Little Rock Police officers were attempting to execute an arrest warrant on Alexander when he was found in possession of multiple rifles and another eight pounds of marijuana. At the sentencing hearing Alexander told Judge Marshall that he was selling marijuana to help finance his community youth programs.

The FBI’s GET ROCK Task Force, working in partnership with the Little Rock Police Department, investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens prosecuted the case.

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