25 indicted in Erie federal case
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- Indictment unsealed in U.S. District Courtroom in Erie fees 25 defendants with drug-related offenses over two years, beginning in 2020
- As of Thursday, 19 defendants had been arrested, together with two in Florida, U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned in courtroom information
- Case is one in every of largest of its variety to be tried in federal courtroom in Erie lately
In one of many largest drug case introduced forth lately in U.S. District Courtroom in Erie, 25 individuals have been indicted on fees that they conspired to deal cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl or dealt the medication on their very own, with the suspected operation stretching from Puerto Rico to Florida to Erie over two years, beginning in 2020.
Two of the defendants are additionally accused of touring to Arizona and utilizing the mail to ship fentanyl.
The seven-count indictment was returned on Tuesday and unsealed on Thursday, after the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned 19 of the defendants had been arrested, in accordance with courtroom information.
The federal government requested the defendants be detained whereas they await trial. On Thursday, a federal Justice of the Peace decide scheduled detention hearings for 13 of the defendants over the following a number of weekdays on the federal courthouse in Erie. 4 different defendants pleaded not responsible at their arraignments on Thursday and have been launched on bond.
The defendants
As with many federal legal circumstances, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace within the indictment lists solely the fundamental allegations in opposition to the 25 defendants. The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Paul Sellers, based mostly in Erie, couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
The indictment doesn’t checklist addresses, however a variety of the defendants are recognized to have lived in Erie, based mostly on different courtroom information.
A information convention on the case is scheduled for Friday morning at Erie Metropolis Corridor, in accordance with Erie police, one other indication that the costs are associated to Erie.
Not all of the defendants are charged with the identical counts, although the defendants overlap in some cases.
The lead defendant is Miguel Antonio Pabon Rivera, accused of trafficking in 5 or extra kilograms of cocaine from January 2020 to Might of this 12 months, in accordance with the indictment. Rivera was arrested in Florida, in accordance with courtroom information filed on Thursday. He’s to be transferred from U.S. District Courtroom in Orlando to U.S. District Courtroom in Erie.
The opposite defendants, within the order they seem on the indictment, are
- Eric Suarez Robles
- Victor Felix Ogando DeLeon
- Limarys Quiles Negron
- Pedro Rosado Ortiz
- Enrique Cotto
- Maria Del Pilar Rivera
- Gloria Maria Robles Gonzalez
- Felix Jimenez Lopez
- Kechawn Jabre Douglas
- Vincent Andrew Feliciano
- Luis Anthony Lopez, often known as Nay Nay
- Jamir Marcel Feliciano
- Alexander Feliciano, often known as Andy
- Tymeen Deltuan Williams
- Peter Daniel Gambill Jr.
- Dikwan Onnyx Plott
- Ashliannie Zayas Agosto
- William David Condon Jr.
- Maurice Ali Fortune Jr.
- Isaiah Jechaun Camp
- Dante Lashawn Husband
- Quincy Aaron McCloud
- Tina Marie Defoy
- Shana Latrice Mathis, often known as Shaina Mathis
Courtroom information filed Thursday present that Robles, listed second-highest on the indictment, was additionally arrested in Florida. He’s to be transferred to U.S. District Courtroom in Erie from U.S. District Courtroom in Orlando.
Maria Rivera, DeFoy, Agosto and Mathis have been arraigned Thursday. They pleaded not responsible earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Richard A. Lanzillo, in accordance with courtroom information. He launched them an unsecured bonds of $10,000. The arraignments have been held by video.
Additionally on Thursday, Lanzillo held what are referred to as initial appearances — transient hearings that may precede arraignments — through video for Negron, Ortiz, Cotto, Felix Lopez, Douglas, Luis Lopez, Vincent Feliciano, Alexander Feliciano, Williams, Plott, Fortune, McCloud and Gambill.
Lanzillo ordered them held in jail pending detention hearings on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, in accordance with courtroom information. Additionally scheduled for these days are their arraignments, at which they’ll enter pleas.
The costs
The indictment fees the defendants with conspiracy and different counts involving cocaine, fentanyl and meth. The costs, in accordance with the indictment:
● Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine from January 2020 to Might of this 12 months in Florida, Puerto Rico and the federal Western District of Pennsylvania, which incorporates Erie.
These charged underneath the conspiracy depend with trafficking in 5 or extra kilograms of cocaine are Rivera, Robles, DeLeon, Negron, Ortiz, Cotto, Rivera, Douglas and Agosto. Gonzales and Felix Lopez are charged underneath the depend with trafficking in 500 or extra grams of cocaine.
● Conspiracy to commit cash laundering between February 2020 and this Might within the Western District of Pennsylvania and Florida. Rivera and Robles are charged.
One other large-scale federal case:Mexican national gets 18 years for dealing kilos of cocaine from auto shop he owned in Erie
● Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, meth or fentanyl from February to Might of this 12 months within the Western District of Pennsylvania “and elsewhere,” in accordance with the indictment.
Charged are Douglas (a amount of meth and 5 or extra kilograms of cocaine), Vincent Feliciano (500 or extra grams of cocaine, 400 or extra grams of fentanyl and 50 or extra grams of meth), Luis Lopez (500 or extra grams of cocaine, 400 or extra grams of fentanyl and 50 or extra grams of meth), Jamir Feliciano (a amount of fentanyl and 500 or extra grams of meth), Alexander Feliciano (a amount of meth and 400 or extra grams of fentanyl), Williams (a amount of cocaine and a amount meth and greater than 400 grams of fentanyl), Gambill (500 or extra grams of cocaine and 40 or extra grams of fentantyl).
Additionally charged underneath the conspiracy depend are Plott (500 or extra grams of cocaine), Condon (a amount of fentanyl and 50 or extra grams of meth), Fortune (a amount of cocaine), McCloud (50 or extra grams of meth and a amount of cocaine and a amount off fentanyl, Defoy (a amount of fentanyl) and Mathis (400 or extra grams of fentanyl).
● Use of the mail in interstate commerce in support of a “enterprise enterprise” involving unlawful medication between February 28 and March 3 of this 12 months. Vincent Feliciano and Luis Lopez are accused of touring from Pennsylvania to Arizona and utilizing the mail for a enterprise enterprise involving 400 extra grams of fentanyl.
● Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fifty or extra grams of meth within the Western District of Pennsylvania on March 15. Camp is charged.
● Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fifty or extra grams of meth within the Western District of Pennsylvania on March 24. Husband and McCloud are charged.
Erie County Widespread Pleas Courtroom:Erie judge quotes NFL coaching legend in delivering lengthy sentence for heroin-fentanyl
● Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fifty or extra grams of meth within the Western District of Pennsylvania on April 18. Luis Lopez is charged.
What’s subsequent
The case is assigned to U.S. District Decide Susan Paradise Baxter.
The defendants would face stiff sentences if convicted, in accordance with courtroom information.
The conspiracy counts associated to five or extra kilograms of cocaine and 400 or extra grams of fentanyl carry jail sentences of a compulsory minimal of 10 years to a most of life. The necessary minimal will increase to fifteen years if the defendant has a previous felony conviction associated to medication or violence and 25 years with two or extra such prior felony convictions.
Convictions on the opposite counts carry sentences starting from 5 years as much as 20 years.
The drug case, although one of many largest of its variety to be prosecuted lately in federal courtroom in Erie, comes because the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace in Erie can be prosecuting one of many largest white-collar crime circumstances in federal courtroom in Erie.
That case — by which the indictment was returned in November — entails 21 defendants. The Erie-based Hertel & Brown Bodily & Aquatic Remedy, its two founders and 18 workers are accused of conspiring to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and personal insurers of greater than $22 million over 14 years, from the time Hertel & Brown was based in 2007 to October 2021.
Baxter can be assigned the Hertel & Brown case. She is weighing a choice on whether or not to grant separate trials to a few of the defendants.
Additionally in federal courtroom:U.S. Attorney’s Office reiterates defendants’ cooperation in Hertel & Brown fraud case
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Observe him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.
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