Lead of 7 defendants in multistate narcotics, money laundering conspiracies case sentenced to 16 years in prison

The lead defendant charged in a narcotics and money laundering conspiracies case was sentenced in U.S. District Court this month. Seven defendants are responsible for conspiring to traffic thousands of oxycodone pills and more than three kilograms of methamphetamine into Ohio from Florida and California, and for conspiring to launder more than $2.5 million in drug proceeds.

Michael J. Moore, 47, of Inglewood, Calif., was sentenced to 192 months (16 years) in prison for conspiring to launder the proceeds of methamphetamine and oxycodone trafficking and for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute the drugs.

According to court documents, from at least 2015 through at least 2018, Moore and six women conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and oxycodone. The defendants illegally diverted and transported oxycodone pills from Florida to Ohio and from California to Ohio. They trafficked methamphetamine from California to Ohio.

For example, Moore obtained fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions in Florida on approximately 10 occasions between 2015 and 2016, allowing him to obtain more than 1,000 pills.

Lower-level members of the conspiracy fraudulently obtained a substantial number of pills, providing them to higher-level members and keeping the balance of the pills as payment to feed their addictions.

In total, the group obtained and distributed between 5,656 and 100,000 30-milligram oxycodone pills, which were then sold for between $20 and $30 per pill.

Moore was involved in the shipping and distribution of at least 3,114 grams of methamphetamine that was approximately 98 percent pure.

Moore and the others conspired to launder the drug proceeds by opening bank accounts at several financial institutions, making money transfers, and concealing cash and flying it on commercial flights.

The other defendants convicted in this case include:

• Mykell Reeneesha Uneek Hawes, 33, Cerritos, Calif., 132 months in prison; 

• Brandy Monique Casey, 44, Inglewood, Calif., 30 months in prison; 

• Marisa A. Wallace, 29, Columbus, Ohio, 72 months in prison; 

• Angela N. Faber, 41, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 48 months in prison; 

• Heather M. Russell, 36, Columbus, Ohio, 48 months in prison;  and

• Janette M. Breckenridge, 33, Columbus, Ohio, 48 months in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Whitehall Police Department assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

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