SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Seven upstate men were arrested today on federal drug conspiracy charges alleging that they arranged to transport, store, and distribute hundreds of pounds of marijuana between Franklin County in Northern New York and Onondaga and Oswego Counties, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Oswego County District Attorney Gregory S. Oakes, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)-Buffalo Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kelly.
All seven defendants appeared today in United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in Syracuse. They are charged in two criminal complaints.
Charged in a criminal complaint alleging a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one hundred kilograms (approximately 220 pounds) or more of marijuana in Onondaga County from January 2017, through November 2017 are:
William Sullivan, 38, of Jamesville, New York
Jamie Phillips, 35, of Syracuse, New York
Alexander Elliott, a/k/a Alexander Camacho, 46, of Syracuse, New York
Alexander Steeprock, 21, of Syracuse, New York
Chadwick Swamp, 48, of Hogansburg, New York
Winston Francis, 26, of Hogansburg, New York
The complaint also charges Jamie Phillips with possessing a firearm after a previous conviction for a felony offense.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5 million and period of supervised release of at least four years and up to life. The charge of possessing a firearm after previously having been convicted of a felony offense against Jamie Phillips carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
Jason Altpeter, 35, of Fulton, New York, is charged in a separate criminal complaint alleging a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fifty kilograms (approximately 110 pounds) or more of marijuana in Oswego County from July 2017, through November 2017. This charge carries carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to one million dollars and period of supervised release of at least three years and up to life.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The charges in the complaints are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This investigation was initiated by the Oswego County Drug Task Force, comprised of Special Agents of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), members of the City of Oswego Police Department, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, Investigators from the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, the SUNY Oswego Police Department, and Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol. Additional agencies involved in the investigation include the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the City of Syracuse Police Department, the New York State Police-CNET Central, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department (USA), the Akwasasne Mohawk Police Service (Canada), and the Oneida Indian Nation Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carla Freedman and Robert Levine, in coordination with the Oswego County District Attorney's Office.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
