LEXINGTON, Ky., - Stanford Ray Coleman, 47, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 340 months [28 years] in prison by United States District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone. Judge Reeves also ordered Coleman to pay a fine of $15,000.
Coleman was previously found guilty by a jury of the charge. The evidence at trial established that Coleman was the supplier of large amounts of oxycodone 30 mg tablets to street and mid-level dealers in the Mt. Sterling area. Coleman would travel to the Mt. Sterling area from Detroit and Atlanta at regular intervals. Coleman would bring thousands of oxycodone 30 mg tablets to local dealers in and around Mt. Sterling. These local distributors would in turn sell the oxycodone 30 mg tablets to smaller dealers and to users of oxycodone in Mt. Sterling. Coleman used at least five fictitious names to conceal his identity and his presence in this area. Coleman was found to be responsible for 5,000 oxycodone 30 mg tablets pills from May 2015 to July 2015. Coleman has also been convicted of two prior drug trafficking offenses qualifying him as a “Career Offender." The jury convicted Coleman in December of 2017 after a 4-day trial.
Under federal law, Coleman must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence, and, upon release, will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for 8 years. Judge Reeves ordered that this federal sentence run be served consecutive to a Fayette County felony offense for drug distribution.
Robert M. Duncan Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Stuart Lowery, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Richard Sanders, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, Chief David Charles, Mt. Sterling Police Department jointly made the announcement today after the sentencing.
The ATF, Kentucky State Police, Mt. Sterling Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Roger W. West represented the United States.
This case were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
