Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Victor Maurice Cook, age 40, of Millersville, Maryland today to a total of seven years in prison. Judge Motz sentenced Cook to five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and two years in prison, consecutive to the five year sentence, for violating his supervised release from a previous drug conviction.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shawn Ellerman of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.
According to his plea agreement, on Oct. 20, 2014, law enforcement officers received information that Cook would be engaged in a narcotics transaction in the vicinity of Route 2 and Arnold Road in Anne Arundel County. At that location, agents saw Cook crossing over the center lane divide several times and speaking on a hand held telephone as he was driving. Anne Arundel County Police detectives attempted to pull Cook over, but Cook continued driving, then tried to swerve into the detectives’ cars, striking one of them. Officers continued following Cook through the parking lots of businesses and ultimately heading southbound on Route 2. When Cook approached a red light with cars stopped at the intersection, Cook drove his car over the curb to get around the traffic and avoid stopping at the intersection. As he was driving, Cook threw a white plastic bag out of the passenger side window of his vehicle. Agents recovered the bag, while other officers approached Cook’s stopped vehicle and ordered him out. Cook struggled with the officers, but was ultimately removed from the vehicle, arrested and handcuffed. The plastic bag was found to contain over a kilogram of cocaine.
Cook also violated his supervised release from a 2001 federal drug conviction for which he served a 12 year sentence. Cook was serving five years of supervised release for this conviction when he was arrested in October 2014.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the DEA and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Smith, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement case, as well as Cook’s previous drug case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
