Denison, Iowa Man to Federal Prison for Meth Conspiracy

Conspiracy Involved Northwest Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced March 31, 2020, to 15 years in federal prison.

Jose Carlos Ramirez-Martinez, age 31, from Denison, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 6, 2019, jury verdict finding him guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Evidence at trial showed that Ramirez-Martinez was involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 50 grams of actual/pure methamphetamine from October 2015 through September 2016, from the Denison, Iowa, area.  Ramirez-Martinez would have co-conspirators travel from Denison to Worthington, Minnesota to deliver half pounds of methamphetamine for subsequent sale in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Those co-conspirators would then return with the money.

Ramirez-Martinez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Ramirez-Martinez was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. Ramirez-Martinez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement; Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Buffalo Ridge Task Force (Worthington/ Nobles County, Minnesota); and the Internal Revenue Service.  

Pittsburgh Man Charged with Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute

NEWARK, N.J. – A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, man has been charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute it, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Kenswick Austin, 45, is charged by complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. He was arrested March 30, 2020, and appeared today by teleconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer of Newark federal court. Austin was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Between March 13, 2020, and March 28, 2020, Austin participated in multiple meetings and telephone calls to arrange the shipment of a package containing controlled substances into New Jersey. On March 30, 2020, the package arrived at an agreed-upon location, and Austin accompanied several other individuals to take possession of the package. After a trained narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of narcotics within a vehicle containing the package and within the package itself, law enforcement searched the vehicle and package pursuant to a federal search warrant and found approximately two kilograms of a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Bound Brook, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Vito Bet, for assistance in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah A. Sulkowski of the Cybercrime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Jail Incarceration Rate Decreased By 12% From 2008 To 2018

          WASHINGTON—The jail incarceration rate in county and city jails across the United States dropped 12% over a decade, from an estimated 258 jail inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents in 2008 to 226 per 100,000 in 2018, the Bureau of Justice Statistics announced today.

          From 2008 to 2018, the jail incarceration rate rose by 12% for whites and fell by about 30% for blacks (down 28%) and Hispanics (down 33%). The rate rose from 167 to 187 inmates per 100,000 white residents, fell from 825 to 592 per 100,000 black residents and fell from 274 to 182 per 100,000  Hispanic residents. In 2018, the jail incarceration rate for black residents fell below 600 per 100,000 for the first time since 1990.

          County and city jails held 738,400 inmates nationwide at midyear 2018, a decline of 6% from 785,500 inmates held in 2008. The number of juvenile jail inmates fell 56% during this period, from 7,700 to 3,400.  

          At midyear 2018, males accounted for 84% of jail inmates and females accounted for 16%. Fifty percent of the jail population was white, 33% was black and 15% was Hispanic.

          More than two-thirds (68%) of jail inmates in 2018 were held for felony charges. About one-third (34%) of jail inmates were sentenced or awaiting sentencing on a conviction, while about two-thirds (66%) were awaiting court action on a current charge or were held for other reasons.

          In 2018, jails reported 10.7 million admissions, a 21% decline from 2008. Jail inmates spent an estimated average of 25 days in jail. An estimated 81% of jail beds were occupied at midyear 2018, down from 95% at midyear 2008.

          The report, Jail Inmates in 2018 (NCJ 253044) was written by BJS statistician Zhen Zeng, Ph.D.

         The report, related documents and additional information about BJS’s statistical publications and programs are available on the BJS website at www.bjs.gov.

         The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating reliable statistics on crime and criminal justice in the United States. Jeffrey H. Anderson is the director.