Six men from Northeast Ohio were indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Indicted are: Maceo Moore, aka “Chase," aka “Paper," 37, of Euclid; Keith Ricks, aka “K-Mack," 31; Maurice Golston, aka “Reese," 32; Leamon Shephard, aka “Juice," 25; Dionte Thompson, aka “Dionte Ricks," aka “Pringles," 24; and Marcus Blue, aka “Blue," 30, all of Cleveland.
The indictment alleges that between approximately August 2012 and June 2013, the defendants conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.
All six defendants were arrested on June 19, 2013, after being charged by a federal complaint with conspiracy to distribute heroin. At that time, all six defendants waived their rights to detention and preliminary hearings and were ordered detained without bond pending further proceedings in the case.
The indictment results from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force (NOLETF), the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Cleveland Division of Police and the Internal Revenue Service.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd, Matthew B. Kall, and Daniel J. Riedl.
If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.
A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The NOLETF is a long standing multi-agency task force comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Heights Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Euclid Police Department, Regional Transit Authority Police Department, Strongsville Police Department, Westlake Police Department and Shaker Heights Police Department. The NOLETF is also one of the initial Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiatives. The HIDTA Program supports and helps coordinate numerous Ohio drug task forces in their efforts to eliminate or reduce drug-trafficking in Ohio.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
