COLUMBUS, Ohio - A federal grand jury has charged three individuals with crimes related to a Las Vegas-to-Columbus oxycodone ring in two indictments returned here yesterday and filed today.
James A. Stone, 39, and David L. Pryor, 28, both of Columbus, are charged in one indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Arthur G. Pirtle, Sr., 66, of Las Vegas, was charged with the same two crimes in a separate indictment.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, and Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced the charges.
According to the indictments, between 2012 and 2015, defendants conspired together and with others to distribute Oxycodone.
They would allegedly conceal the drug proceeds in carryon luggage, checked luggage and/or parcel packages to transport the illegal proceeds to and from Las Vegas and Columbus, Ohio. For example, Stone was interdicted by law enforcement during a trip from Columbus to Las Vegas and $21,000 of drug proceeds was discovered inside pairs of pants in his luggage.
The indictments also allege Stone, Pryor and Pirtle wired approximately $300,000 in drug proceeds.
Additionally, in 2013, Pirtle opened a bank account in the name Another Beginning LLC and that account received multiple cash deposits in the Southern District of Ohio that were allegedly proceeds from the sale of Oxycodone. Between November 2012 and October 2015, the account received more than $400,000 in cash deposits.
Since 2014, Pryor’s debit cards have been used to purchase numerous airline tickets for members and associates of the drug trafficking organization, including Maisha Caples, Marquis Pryor and Marcus Pryor, all of whom were prosecuted and convicted in the Southern District of Ohio. Marcus Pryor was sentenced to 140 months in prison, Marquis Pryor was sentenced to 93 months in prison and Caples was sentenced to 45 months in prison for charges related to the drug and money-laundering conspiracy.
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone and conspiracy to commit money laundering are each crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the IRS CI and DEA, and Deputy Criminal Chief Michael Hunter, who is prosecuting the case.
Indictments merely contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
