Federal Cocaine Conspiracy Charges Resolved with Reduced Sentence in Boston
Criminal Charges:
Man charged in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts for:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and 846
City, State, County and Court:
Boston, Massachusetts
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Case Overview:
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating a network of drug distributors that were operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Authorities obtained arrest warrants for 14 individuals. Wiretap recordings were used to identify one of the suppliers to the network who agents knew from prior drug investigations and the man’s federal criminal history. Based on the wire recordings and other evidence, this supplier was among the group of people arrested and charged. In addition to new federal drug trafficking charges, the man was also accused of violating the terms of his federal supervised release for a previous drug trafficking conviction. With regard to this new case, he was charged in United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He initially faced a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years or 180 months, if convicted of the originally indicted offense, due to a sentencing enhancement the government filed pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851. The man retained Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer, John L. Calcagni III, to defend him in this serious matter.
Case Result: 46 Months of Imprisonment, 3 Years Supervised Release, and a Fine.
Attorney Calcagni and his client demanded a trial. The weekend before jury selection, the government sought to resolve the case with a plea agreement and avoid a trial. Of the 14 people that were indicted, this man was the only defendant who demanded a trial. Attorney Calcagni successfully negotiated a plea agreement on the man’s behalf that resulted in a reduction of his original charges, which eliminated any mandatory minimum jail sentence. After pleading guilty to the reduced charge, the man was sentenced to serve 46 months, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and payment of a fine.