Jackson, Miss - Jerome Gordon Wellington, 38, of Palmdale, California, and Byram, Mississippi, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for laundering drug proceeds through the purchase of a house in Byram, Mississippi, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Gabriel L. Grchan, Special Agent in Charge, IRS - Criminal Investigation. Wellington was previously convicted of conspiring to distribute multiple kilograms of cocaine from California into Mississippi.
IRS Special Agent in Charge Gabriel L. Grchan stated: “The role of IRS - CI in narcotics investigations is to follow the money, which enabled us to financially disrupt and dismantle Jerome Wellington’s drug trafficking organization. We were proud to have provided this financial expertise as we worked alongside our law enforcement partners to bring Wellington and his cartel of criminals to justice."
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the criminal investigation of the financial affairs leading to the current indictment. The Drug Enforcement Administration, in conjunction with officers from the Ridgeland Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Hinds County Sheriff=s Office, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, initially investigated the drug trafficking organization of Jerome Gordon Wellington.
U.S. Attorney Davis praised the efforts of the IRS Criminal Investigation and DEA agents who worked tirelessly on the complex investigation into the financial affairs of this drug organization, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca who prosecuted the case for the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
