McHenry County Blog

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

ELEVEN DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH DISTRIBUTING MULTI-KILOGRAM AMOUNTS OF HEROIN OR COCAINE FOLLOWING DEA-LED INVESTIGATION

CHICAGO — Two brothers driving a flatbed tow truck carrying a blue Honda Prelude exited the Kennedy Expressway at Armitage Avenue where they failed to stop at a red light about 7:20 p.m. on March 5 of this year.

Chicago police officers stopped the tow truck near the intersection of Armitage and Wolcott avenues and identified the driver and his passenger.

Noting that the Honda was registered to another individual, the officers asked if the vehicle was stolen and the driver replied that to his knowledge, it was not.

The officers subsequently seized the Honda and allowed the two men to depart in the tow truck.

Within an hour the driver of the tow truck was on the phone with a third man, telling him repeatedly that the Honda had “broken down.”

After hearing some disbelief, the driver told the third man, “No, I’m telling you that the …the car was taken by the clowns, man.”

The seizure of the Honda was not at all as coincidental as it might have seemed to the three men, however.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents, assisted by the Chicago Police Department and other agencies, had been surveilling the men while they loaded the Honda onto the flatbed near 71st and Sacramento Avenue about 6:40 p.m. that evening based on listening to their intercepted telephone conversations.

Later that night, after a police canine positively indicated the likely presence of drugs at the rear of the Honda, DEA agents obtained a federal warrant to search the car and found two boxes containing a total of approximately 20 kilograms of heroin in 20 packages.

The tow truck driver, MARIO CORIA, and his brother, OMAR CORIA, and the man they spoke to on the phone, ALBERTO GUADARRAMA, were among a total of 11 defendants, 10 whom were arrested yesterday on federal drug-trafficking charges.

The charges, contained in six separate criminal complaints, stem from an investigation led by the DEA, together with task force officers from the

• Chicago,
• Berwyn,
• Brookfield,
• Lansing, and
• Summit

police departments, as well as the Elgin Police Department, which assisted in yesterday’s arrests.

DEA offices in

• Madison,Wis.,
• Milwaukee,
• Houston,
• Dallas, and
• McAllen, Tex., and
• Indianapolis

also assisted in the investigation, which was conducted under the umbrella of the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

All 11 defendants were charged with various drug distribution offenses in the complaints that were filed in U.S. District Court and unsealed following the arrests. The 10 defendants arrested yesterday appeared before Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez in U.S. District Court and remain in federal custody pending detention hearings scheduled on Monday. One defendant is a fugitive.

Gary Shapiro

The arrests and charges were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Jack Riley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA.

“This operation strikes down a major Mexican criminal organization that routinely distributed high quality heroin throughout the Midwest,” Mr. Riley said.

“The arrests by DEA and its state and local law enforcement partners effectively dismantled a significant trafficking organization that was responsible for the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities of heroin on the streets of Chicago.”

Guardarrama, 29, of Bartlett; Mario Coria, 46, and Omar Coria, 35, both of Chicago, were charged with conspiracy to distribute multi-kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine.

According to the affidavit in this case and others, DEA agents began receiving information in 2010 from a confidential source (CS-1) regarding the drug trafficking and money laundering activities of a Mexican-based drug trafficking organization.

According to CS-1, since at least 2010, a high-ranking member of the organization (referred to as “the Mexican SOS,” for source of supply) oversaw the distribution of large quantities of cocaine and heroin and the collection of large amounts of drug money in multiple locations in the United States, including Chicago, Atlanta, and elsewhere.

CS-1 told agents that in 2011 the Mexican SOS contacted CS-1 and asked CS-1 to be responsible for the organization’s operation in the Chicago area.

CS-1 agreed and worked for the Mexican-based organization in Chicago while under the supervision of DEA during December 2011 and January 2012. According to CS-1 and Mexican media sources, the Mexican SOS was killed in Mexico in approximately July of this year.

The charges allege that Guadarrama and Mario Coria sold two kilograms of cocaine to CS-1 in January, and all three defendants were involved in arranging for the Coria brothers in March to pick up the 20 kilograms of heroin, sent from Mexico.

Other defendants charged separately as a result of this investigation are as follows:

• JUAN VIGIL, 65, of Houston, charged with distributing 1.5 kilograms of heroin, supplied by the Mexican-based organization, to CS-1 at a hotel near Midway Airport in Chicago on Jan. 22 of this year.
• DOMINGO MACEDO, Jr., 42, of Chicago, charged with possession with intent to distribute a kilo of cocaine on Jan. 7, 2012.
• MIGUEL BELTRAN, 36, of Chicago, charged with possession with intent to distribute a kilo of cocaine on Dec. 23, 2011.
• LORENZO TRUJILLO, 22, of Evanston, charged with possession with intent to distribute a kilo of cocaine on Dec. 22, 2011.
• VICTOR MANUEL CONTRERAS, 43,of Elgin;
• MARIO ORTIZ, 34, of Elgin;
• ORLANDO PENALOZA, 28, of Harvard, Ill.; and
• MIGUEL ORTUNO-GOMEZ, 30, of Madison, Wis.,

were charged in a four-count complaint. The charges allege that Contreras delivered three kilos of cocaine to Ortiz on June 5 of this year, and later the same day, Ortiz delivered the same three kilos of cocaine to Penaloza. Later still on June 5, Contreras delivered two additional kilos of cocaine to Ortiz, and Ortiz delivered that cocaine to Ortuno-Gomez. Ortuno-Gomez is the only defendant who was not arrested yesterday and is a fugitive.

During the course of the investigation, the DEA seized approximately 21.5 kilograms of heroin and five kilograms of cocaine.

Defendants

• Contreras,
• Mario and
• Omar Coria,
• Guadarrama,
• Ortiz, and
• Vigil

face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine, while defendants

• Beltran,
• Macedo,
• Ortuno-Gomez,
• Penaloza, and
• Trujillo

face a mandatory minimum of five years to a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is being represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Romero, Shoba Pillay, and Stephen Lee.

The public is reminded that complaints contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

NINETEEN DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH ALLEGED ROLES IN NARCOTICS RINGS THAT SUPPLIED AND DISTRIBUTED POWDER AND CRACK COCAINE

CHICAGO — Nineteen defendants are facing federal narcotics charges for allegedly playing various roles in two organizations that supplied and distributed multi-kilogram quantities of powder and crack cocaine, local and federal law enforcement officials announced today.

A joint investigation led by the Chicago Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration resulted in the charges, as well as accumulated seizures since last fall of several kilograms of cocaine and quantities of crack in the Chicago area.

Additional quantities of crack, heroin and marijuana, as well as approximately $100,000, 10 guns, and six vehicles were seized yesterday.

Chicago police and DEA agents yesterday executed multiple search warrants in Chicago, Calumet City, Crete, and Elmhurst, and arrested 16 defendants stemming from the nine-month investigation of alleged drug-trafficking.

Three of the 19 defendants were already in state custody.

All 19 defendants were charged with various narcotics possession or distribution conspiracy offenses in an 11-count criminal complaint that was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court and unsealed following the arrests. The defendants arrested began appearing yesterday in U.S. District Court and remain in federal custody pending detention hearings scheduled for next week.

Patrick Fitzgerald

Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, praised the dedication and teamwork of the Chicago police officers and DEA agents who worked tirelessly to disrupt these alleged drug-trafficking organizations. Mr. Fitzgerald announced the charges with Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, and Jack Riley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The investigation was conducted under the umbrella of the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Chicago High-Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA).

“Our top priority in achieving violence reduction is dismantling the drug trafficking organizations whose criminal enterprises are responsible for crime in our communities,” said Superintendent McCarthy.

“Our joint efforts in this investigation have made a real impact on the supply and distribution of narcotics, and the violence it breeds in the Chicago area, by targeting the source and holding alleged members and associates of drug trafficking organizations accountable for their actions,” he added.

“This investigation is indicative of the commitment and resources that are necessary to bring charges against the leaders of these alleged drug trafficking organizations, here in Chicago,” Mr. Riley said. “And because of the nature of these long-term investigations, the months of effort often go un-noticed until the results are made public.”

According to a 253-page complaint, the investigation, which began last September, determined that Odell Givens and Antwan Jones were each the leaders of their own drug trafficking organizations.

Investigators learned that [Odell] Givens and his organization had three main cocaine suppliers, including

• Phillip Jones
• Bacilio Lopez-Rios
• Maria Aguian
• Pablo Lopez (who worked together to supply Givens with cocaine)
• Bryant Paige

according to the charges.

In addition, the complaint alleges that Edward Parker transported drugs, stored drugs, conducted drug transactions, and collected money from drug transactions for Givens and his organization.

Parker’s alleged drug transactions for the Givens organization included supplying distribution quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine to other members of the organization, including

• Charles Bates
• Andrew Sanford
• Jerome Griffin
• Gregory Dockery
• Karvis Carter, and
• others

Givens and Parker allegedly fronted distribution quantities of narcotics to several of those same individuals, including Bates, Sanford, and Griffin.

The investigation further determined that Givens and Parker allegedly supplied Roosevelt Hamilton with distribution quantities of cocaine.

Hamilton also provided a place where Givens could cook powder cocaine into crack cocaine, the charges allege, and Patrick Harvey transported and sold distribution quantities of crack and powder cocaine for Hamilton.

Further, Givens and Parker allegedly supplied distribution quantities of cocaine to Antwan Jones and his organization, both of which also had a second supplier of cocaine – allegedly Edgar Delgado and Delgado’s associate, Javier Diaz.

During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted a kilogram of cocaine that Delgado and Diaz intended to distribute to Antwan Jones, the charges allege.

Antwan Jones and his organization allegedly stored drugs at and distributed drugs, including heroin, from the third floor and garden apartments of a building located at 607 E. 60th St., in Chicago.

Two individuals —

• Calvin Nelson and
• James Jones

— allegedly received, stored, and distributed drugs at the Antwan Jones stash house on behalf of Antwan Jones and his organization.

Nelson and James Jones distributed drugs to several customers of the Antwan Jones organization, including to Jarvis Paige, the charges allege.

On occasion, the Antwan Jones organization allegedly supplied distribution quantities of cocaine to Givens and his organization.

The charges against 16 of the defendants carry a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million.

Two defendants — Givens and Parker — each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine, while Dockery alone faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $2 million fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is being represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey D. Perconte, Stephen P. Baker, and Raj P. Laud.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
A list of the defendants follows (with best known ages and residences):

UNITED STATES v. GIVENS, et al., 12 CR 421
DEFENDANT AGE TOWN STATUS

• Odell Givens, 42 Crete, Arrested
• Edward Parker, 42, Calumet City. Arrested
• Phillip Jones, 30, Chicago, Arrested
• Pablo Lopez, 35, Chicago, Arrested
• Maria Aguiano, 28, Chicago, Arrested
• Bacilio Lopez-Rios, 36, Chicago, In custody
• Antwan Jone,s 36, Elmhurst, Arrested
• James Jones, 57, Chicago, Arrested
• Calvin Nelson, 50, Chicago, Arrested
• Roosevelt Hamilton, 36, Dolton, In custody
• Patrick Harvey, 55, Matteson, In custody
• Karvis Carter, 31, Chicago, Arrested
• Jerome Griffin, 43, Chicago, Arrested
• Bryant Paige, 45, Chicago, Arrested
• Javier Diaz, 45, Streamwood, Arrested
• Edgar Delgado, 22, Chicago, Arrested
• Charles Bates, 47, Chicago, Arrested
• Gregory Dockery, 47, Chicago, Arrested

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

FOURTEEN DEFENDANTS FACING FEDERAL OR STATE CHARGES INVOLVING COCAINE SALES IN LAKE COUNTY’S ROUND LAKE BEACH AREA

CHICAGO — Fourteen Lake County and area residents are facing narcotics charges after a joint state and federal investigation of alleged cocaine-trafficking in the Round Lake and Round Lake Beach areas, state and federal law enforcement officials announced today.

Patrick Fitzgerald

FBI agents, together with local police and other authorities, yesterday began executing arrest warrants for six federal defendants and eight state defendants resulting from an investigation that began in August 2010. Since then, investigators have seized more than 1.3 kilograms of cocaine as part of the investigation, which is continuing.

Officers and agents also executed a seizure warrant yesterday for a 2008 Cadillac Escalade from one of the federal defendants.

The arrests and charges were announced by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Michael J. Waller, Lake County State’s Attorney; and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The investigation was conducted under the umbrella of U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

Also participating in the investigation were the

• Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group,
• the Round Lake Beach and
• Rolling Meadows police departments, as well as
• the police departments of Palatine and Mundelein and
• the McHenry County Sheriff’s Police through their membership on the North Suburban Safe Streets Task Force,
• the Illinois State Police,
• the Department of Homeland Security and
• the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

FBI agents and local authorities began investigating lead defendant Jose Luis Chavez and his alleged drug-trafficking organization, which operated principally in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

The investigation included at least three seizures of cocaine, court-authorized electronic surveillance on various telephones, and extensive physical surveillance.

The federal complaint traces the movement of cocaine through excerpts of the defendants’ numerous, intercepted telephone conversations.

Between February and November 2011, Chavez allegedly obtained ounce and kilogram quantities of cocaine that he distributed in multi-ounce quantities through his primary distributor, Armando Lopez, in and around Round Lake and Round Lake Beach in Lake County, according to the charges.

Chavez, also known as

• “Big Lou,” 33, of Round Lake, and
• Lopez, aka “Mando,” 34, of Round Lake Beach,

were among six defendants charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in a criminal complaint that was unsealed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Chavez and Lopez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox and remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing at 11 a.m. on Monday.

A third federal defendant, Joseph Garcia, aka “Evil,” 28, of Algonquin, was arrested yesterday in Orlando, Fla. He appeared in Federal Court there and is being returned to Chicago.

A fourth defendant, Amber Learn, 26, of Round Lake Beach, was arrested in Lake County and was released on bond after appearing before Magistrate Cox.

Two additional federal defendants, Ryon Baldarez, 35, and Agustin Zetina-Marin, 29, both of Round Lake Beach, remain at large and warrants were issued for their arrest.

Eight additional defendants are facing state prosecution on drug charges in Lake County.

According to the federal complaint, after receiving cocaine from Chavez, Lopez redistributed it through Learn and Baldarez, who were responsible for delivering the cocaine to Lopez’s customers.

Lopez allegedly brokered kilogram -cocaine deals for Chavez by connecting Chavez with various sources of supply.

Chavez allegedly distributed his cocaine through Lopez, as well as through Garcia and Zetina-Marin.

The largest seizure during the investigation occurred on May 31, 2011, when law enforcement recovered approximately a kilogram of cocaine during a traffic stop on I-94 near Deerfield Road, which was allegedly en route to be delivered to Chavez.

The drug distribution conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is being represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Renai Rodney, Dylan Smith and Naana Frimpong.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

McHENRY COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR SELLING COCAINE

Rockford Federal Courthouse

Rockford — A McHenry, Ill. man was sentenced today by United States Senior District Judge Philip G. Reinhard to 13 years in federal prison for distributing cocaine in McHenry.

Brian M. Blum, 31, who pled guilty on Sept. 1, 2011, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison, and ordered to repay to the federal government $1,200 that it had used to buy cocaine from the defendant.

According to the written plea agreement, in July of 2010, Blum agreed to sell cocaine to an individual who was cooperating with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”).

On July 13, 2010, Blum sold the individual 27.6 grams of cocaine for $600. Blum also admitted to selling 29.4 grams of cocaine to the same individual for $600 on Dec. 17, 2010.

The sentencing was announced today by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the
Northern District of Illinois; Andrew L. Traver, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Chicago Division
of the ATF; and Keith Nygren, McHenry County Sheriff. The United States Marshals Service
assisted in the investigation.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Pedersen.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

TWO DOZEN MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES OF BELIZEAN BLOODS STREET
GANG FACING FEDERAL NARCOTICS AND PASSPORT FRAUD CHARGES

CHICAGO — A federal investigation of alleged passport fraud and narcotics trafficking by members and associates of the Belizean Bloods street gang operating in Evanston and Chicago has resulted in charges against two dozen defendants, most of whom were arrested here this week, law enforcement officials announced today.

One defendant, Jerry Johnson, who allegedly directed the Belizean Bloods drug-trafficking organization in Chicago, was arrested yesterday in Salt Lake City and is facing federal charges in Chicago.

Five other defendants were arrested, and three guns were seized, Tuesday afternoon in Lyons where they had gathered as part of an alleged conspiracy to rob what they believed was 50 kilograms of cocaine from a different drug organization but which, in fact, was a ruse in an undercover sting operation.

Overall, 10 separate federal complaints were filed and unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago after search and arrest warrants were executed Tuesday and yesterday, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

The charges arise from two coordinated investigations, Operation Blood Hound and Operation Black Orchid, which brought together agents from multiple federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the Chicago and Evanston Police Departments and other local partners.

In 2009, the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service began investigating alleged passport fraud by Belizean nationals, while at the same time the FBI and Evanston and Chicago police were investigating alleged narcotics trafficking by suspected members of the Belizean Bloods.

Previously, during the course of the investigations, bulk amounts of powder and crack cocaine, firearms and assault rifles and cash were seized.

Eight additional Belizean nationals were prosecuted for passport fraud and eight others for illegally re-entering the country within the past year in Federal Court in Chicago. Another Belizean national was arrested yesterday in Chicago on passport fraud charges filed in the Southern District of Florida.

Patrick Fitzgerald

“These coordinated efforts demonstrate the commitment and teamwork of all law enforcement agencies in the Chicago area to combat the dangerous combination of gangs, guns and drugs in our community,”

Mr. Fitzgerald said.

Mr. Fitzgerald announced the arrests and charges with Scott Collins, Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service Chicago Field Office; Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Andrew L. Traver, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Chicago; Gary J. Hartwig, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago; Alvin Patton, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago, and Darryl McPherson, the U.S. Marshal in Chicago. They Chicago and Evanston Police Departments played significant roles in the investigation along with other local agencies. The investigations were conducted under the umbrella of U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), and with significant assistance from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA.)

The investigation, which is continuing, relied on undercover purchases of narcotics, surveillance, consensual audio and video recordings, and court-authorized wiretaps of telephone conversations, as well as information provided by multiple cooperating witnesses, including former members and associates of the Belizean Bloods.

According to the charges against Johnson and three others, Johnson’s sources of supply included quantities of narcotics from Belize. He allegedly directed the distribution of powder and crack cocaine and “cooked” powder cocaine to produce crack, which was distributed in wholesale quantities. A cooperating former Belizean Bloods member told agents that Johnson had inherited his father’s drug connections when his father was deported to Belize. The Belizean Bloods narcotics distribution route allegedly included Illinois, Utah, Ohio, Indiana, New York and California.

Johnson, approximately 30, of Chicago and Evanston, also known as “Kaiden Bennett” and “Kalvin Howell,” appeared in Federal Court in Salt Lake City and remains in custody pending a detention hearing tomorrow. Other defendants arrested yesterday in Chicago were scheduled to appear this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys in Federal Court in Chicago.

The five defendants arrested Tuesday afternoon in Chicago appeared before Magistrate Keys yesterday and remain in custody pending detention and preliminary hearings at 9:30 a.m. next Tuesday. Three of them, Myreon Flowers, 39, of Chicago, aka “Diesel;” Anward Trapp, 31, of Chicago, aka “Bernard Gillett,” “Herman Flowers,” and “Smash;” and Rudy Space, 30, of Chicago; were charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine for allegedly planning to rob a purported 50 kilograms of cocaine from a purported “stash” garage in Berwyn. The complaint alleges that they were involved in conversations and planning with an undercover agent and a cooperating witness to engage in a purported armed robbery, and shooting if necessary, of three members of a Mexican drug cartel on Tuesday. They were arrested at meeting spot in Lyons as they prepared to descend upon the fictitious stash location. (United States v. Myreon Flowers, et al., 11 CR 779.) Arrested with them were David Flowers, 34, of Chicago, and Duane Jones, 28, of Chicago, aka “Duane Tillett,” and “Dido,” who are facing separate charges of distributing crack cocaine, together with Myreon Flowers and Eric Burnett, 24, of Chicago. (United States v. David Flowers, et al., 11 CR 770.)

Summaries of the remaining cases follow:

United States v. Johnson, et al., (11 CR 763)

Jerry Johnson, together with Sheldon Morales, 30,of Wheeling, an alleged member of the Gangster Disciples street gang who supplied Johnson with powder cocaine; Douglas Wilson, 57,of Evanston; and Tyrita Myers, approximately 24,of Chicago; were charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute wholesale quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine between August 2010 and March 2011.

United States v. Ward, (11 CR 764)

Anderson Ward, 29, of Chicago, was charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute in March 2011.

United States v. Gentle and Ellis, (11 CR 766)

William Gentle, 30, of Chicago, and Richard Ellis, 18, of Evanston, were charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute crack cocaine between May and July this year.

United States v. Gadson and Walker, (11 CR 767)

Gilbert Gadson, 45, of Chicago, aka “Gilbert Gatson,” and Roy Walker, 52, of Chicago, were charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute crack cocaine in January and February this year.

United States v. Glen Flowers, (11 CR 768)

Glen Flowers, 40, of Skokie, aka “Glen Gillett,” “William Powell,” and “Herbert Williams, Jr.” was charged with passport fraud for attempting in December 2010 to fraudulently renew a U.S. passport in the name of Herbert Williams, Jr.

United States v. Gibson and Glen Flowers, (11 CR 769)

The same Glen Flowers was charged with distributing powder cocaine, and Harrington Gibson, 63, of Chicago, aka “Uncle Harry,” was charged with distributing crack cocaine on June 29, 2011.

United States v. Perez, et al., (11 CR 771)

Carlos Perez, 41, of Chicago; Alfredo Castro, age and residence unavailable; and Jonathan Vaughan, 26, of Chicago, were charged with distributing cocaine on Oct. 20, 2011.

United States v. Trapp, et al., (11 CR 772)

Anwar Trapp, together with Wilton Bennett, 29, of Chicago; Marlon Conorquie, 36, of Chicago, aka “Dread;” and Alix Aurele, 37, of Dolton, were charged with distributing crack cocaine or heroin in September and October this year.

The defendants are facing various maximum penalties on the narcotics charges, ranging from a maximum of 20 years in prison to mandatory minimum sentences of either 5 or 10 years to a maximum of 40 years or life in prison, together with maximum fines of $250,000, $2 million or $4 million.

The passport fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is being represented by a combination of Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Romero, Meghan Morrissey, Christopher Grohman and Kate Zell.

The public is reminded that charges are merely allegations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Want to know why former Democratic Party candidate Dave Bachmann is ticked off at McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren?

It’s not because the Nygren family got Homestead Exemptions in both Florida and Illinois.

It’s not because Nygren endorsed fellow Republican incumbent office holder Coroner Marlene Lantz for re-election.

It’s probably not even because the sheriff denigrated Bachmann’s investigatory talents in the Northwest Herald right before the election.

My guess is that it is because the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department put Bachmann’s family in danger.

As Bachmann puts it in his latest post on his 3 and one-half month old, 13,000-hit blog,

Dirty Keith vs. Dirty Harry,

“Somebody tipped those ‘Punks’ off!!!”

What punks?

The Hebron drug dealers Bachmann says were living right next door to him and his family.

Bachmann told the sheriff’s department how his neighbors had divided cocaine by the light of a car’s headlights on their driveway.

But, read what he wrote:

“By now, early June, and just about a month after Sgt. Koziol refused my other calls for help, I again tried to reach out to Sgt. (John) Koziol. Again, my call refused. Again I left a ‘detailed’ message about the fact that I saw the neighbor ‘Punks’ separating Cocaine under the dark of night while using the front headlamps of a Chevy Blazer for light.

“I told Koziol that not only did I see the drugs on the driveway late one night just after I met Sylvia Flores, but that I had just moments before placing my call to Koziol, was looking at a late model Mitsubishi Lancer that had pulled into the driveway with a Marijuana plant dangling down as the cars radiator leaked fluids onto the driveway. I described what I saw in great detail. Again, no return call from the McHenry County, Sheriff’s office or Sgt. John Koziol.

“I also told Koziol that at least (5) young ‘Punks’ had taken up full time residence at the home as well. I placed this call at around (4) p.m. in the afternoon. What happened next will shock all reading this as it did my wife and I.

“In or about 0800 the very next morning after I placed this phone call to Koziol, my wife and I both witnessed all the young men who had been living at the home, all at the same time, flee… some leaving without shirts on…Like rats fleeing a flood. They all got into the four cars that were parked all night at the home and took off.

“In one hell of a hurry I will add.

“At about Noon or so just after the young men fled the home, a large truck pulled up in front of the home. It looked like a Septic Pumping truck. I found that to be strange. I watched further.

“Two men got out of the truck and took a broom and a large blower and began power blowing debris off the driveway, cleaning it for some reason?

“Next the large truck with a tank backed into the driveway and a fresh coat of liquid tar sealant was being applied. Thus removing any and all evidence of what might have been embedded in that driveway. The two men didn’t waste any time either. They were in and out of there in a hurry as well!

“Somebody tipped those ‘Punks’ off!!!”

“…I will state for the record, I Intentionally ‘DID NOT’ call ‘ANY’ other ‘Law Enforcement Agency’ back in early June, when I saw what I had just described.

“(The ‘ONLY’ law enforcement agency I contacted was the McHenry County, Sheriff’s Department’s Sgt. John Koziol. I DID THIS ON PURPOSE! For the EXACT reason you might be thinking of right at this moment!)

“I wanted to know how these small time ‘Punks’ were pulling off all the shenanigan’s they had been getting away with impunity for about a full year. I wanted to know why the Hebron, Police were not getting any help?

“I’m not accusing Sgt. Koziol of anything. I’m telling you ‘EXACTLY’ what happened!

“Then you saw what Sheriff Nygren told the Northwest Herald reporter about my ‘Investigative Instincts!’

“I truly don’t know if Sheriff Nygren ever really knew what all was going on while he was away. He couldn’t have! Could he?”

There’s more in the article, including praise for two deputies who made an arrest next door a couple of months later and about the mud covered Mitsubishi Lancer with a marijuana plant attached to its undercarriage leaking radiator fluid. (Bachmann links to this Northwest Herald article about two marijuana fields found near Hebron.)

Another article talks about other contacts with the sheriff’s department. It includes an incredible quote from the Hebron police chief.