ROCKFORD - Two men from Lake County have been arrested for distributing heroin in Rockford.
JAVIER A. PEREZ, 27, of Park City, and JOSE ARMANDO OCHOA-LOPEZ, 27, of Zion, were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 7, 2018, on charges of distributing and conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin in Rockford in October 2017.
Perez was arrested Tuesday by federal law enforcement and appeared for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Iain D. Johnston in Rockford today. He was ordered to be held in federal custody until a detention hearing on May 4, 2018, at 9:15 a.m.
Ochoa-Lopez was arrested on March 14, 2018, and remains in federal custody pending trial. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Each count of the indictment carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in prison, in addition to a fine of up to $5 million. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Dan O’Shea, Rockford Police Chief; and Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Sheriff. The federal investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Rockford Area Violent Gang Task Force, which includes the above agencies as well as the Loves Park and Freeport Police Departments. The Lake County Gang Task Force, consisting of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Grayslake Police Department, Wauconda Police Department, Mundelein Police Department, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations also assisted in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
