SACRAMENTO, Calif. - David Lee White, 56, of Chandler, Arizona, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, to two counts of distribution of heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, White and co-defendants Jason Keith Arnold, 47, and Alicia McCoy, 33, both also of Chandler, Arizona, operated the vendor accounts SICKNESSVERSION2 and 23MIGHTYMOUSE23 on the dark web marketplace known as Dream. These vendor accounts distributed heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and other federally controlled substances on the dark web.
Law enforcement agents working undercover purchased heroin and other controlled substances from these vendor accounts on various dates in 2018, and had them sent to an address in the Eastern District of California. Agents subsequently executed a search warrant at a motel room in which White and McCoy were staying and seized at least 315 grams of heroin, 45 grams of cocaine, 593 grams of methamphetamine, and 30 grams of marijuana. Agents also seized a loaded and unregistered Kel-tec 9 mm handgun from a nightstand in the motel room.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) Task Force, which includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The NCIDE Task Force is a federal task force focused on targeting all forms of illicit dark web and cryptocurrency activity in the Eastern District of California and beyond. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hemesath and Sam Stefanki are prosecuting the case.
Arnold pleaded guilty on March 5, 2020, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2021. Charges are pending against McCoy, and a status conference is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2021. The charges against her are allegations; she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
White is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on Jan. 6, 2022. White faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each count to which he pleaded guilty. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
