Paterson Man Sentenced to 55 Months in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl

 NEWARK, N.J. – A Paterson, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 55 months in prison for distributing fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig announced.

Maurice Tisdale, 28, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an information charging him with knowingly and intentionally distributing fentanyl. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence today by videoconference.

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

Tisdale is a member and associate of the 230 Boys street gang, which operates primarily around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson. Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement officers determined that from at least September 2018 through Oct. 1, 2019, Tisdale and other members and associates of the 230 Boys distributed narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, in and around Paterson. On June 25, 2019, Tisdale worked with other members and associates to distribute fentanyl to another individual.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Tisdale to three years of supervised release.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora; detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes; and officers of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the leadership of Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. She also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Belleville and Livingston police departments for their assistance with the case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.