NORFOLK, Va. - Charles Battle, aka C.J., 38, of Portsmouth, was sentenced to 240 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised released for his role in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Battle was one of five members or affiliates of the “Corna Sto Boys," a Portsmouth-based group of crack dealers sentenced to prison this year here in Norfolk. On Monday, Lacharles Hodges, aka Boogie, 29, also of Portsmouth, was sentenced to 151 months in prison for the same crime.
According to court documents, both men, along with other members of the “Corna Sto Boys," sold crack cocaine across the street from the schoolyard of a Portsmouth elementary school. This was Battle’s third conviction for selling drugs near school property in Portsmouth.
Three other members or affiliates of the same group, Norman Stephenson, aka Bree; Jawanza Johnson, aka Wanza; and Samuel Gray, aka Pig, were sentenced earlier this year:
Name
Age, Hometown
Charges
Status
Charles Battle
38, Portsmouth
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine
Pleaded guilty March 15. Sentenced to 240 months on July 15.
Lacharles Hodges
29, Portsmouth
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine and 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine
Pleaded guilty March 17. Sentenced to 151 months on July 11.
Norman Stephenson
35, Portsmouth
Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Manufacture and Distribute 280 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine
Pleaded guilty February 3. Sentenced to 264 months on June 16.
Jawanza Johnson
36, Portsmouth
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine
Pleaded guilty March 22. Sentenced to 120 months on June 23.
Samuel Gray
36, Portsmouth
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine
Pleaded guilty March 17. Sentenced to 120 months on June 16.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Office; and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of the Portsmouth Police Department, made the announcement after Battle was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Bosse and Joseph E. DePadilla, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, prosecuted the cases.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:16cr3 (Battle), 2:16cr18 (Hodges), 2:16cr16 (Stephenson), 2:16cr5 (Johnson), and 2:16cr19 (Gray).
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
