Contact Person: Jamie L. Schoen (864) 282-2100
Greenville, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Richard Ryan Jones, age 39, of Gaffney, South Carolina was sentenced today in federal court in Greenville, South Carolina, for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A). United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs of Columbia sentenced Jones to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Judge Childs has already sentenced co-defendant Charlie Farris to 180 years imprisonment, co-defendant Bobby Spencer to 108 months imprisonment, and co-defendant Joy Nicole Spencer to 60 months imprisonment. Co-defendant Christopher O’Brien has pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Evidence presented at the change of plea and sentencing hearings established that in 2015 and 2016, Richard Ryan Jones was the supplier of methamphetamine to Bobby Spencer, a co-defendant, and others throughout the Upstate. Christopher O’Brien and Joy Nicole Spencer were couriers of methamphetamine for Jones and Bobby Spencer, respectively. Evidence demonstrated that Jones distributed over 20 pounds of methamphetamine throughout the Upstate. Charley Farris and Bobby Spencer were also convicted of carrying firearms in relation to this drug trafficking conspiracy.
The case was investigated by agents of FBI, ATF, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Gaffney Police Department, and Spartanburg City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen of the Greenville office prosecuted the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
