U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax | U.S. Department of Justice
A man from Dubuque, Iowa, has pleaded guilty in federal court to a cocaine distribution conspiracy that resulted in the death of a young woman. Maurice Randolph, 44, admitted his involvement in distributing over 500 grams of cocaine near parks and schools in Dubuque between 2017 and April 2021.
Randolph confessed at the plea hearing to being part of the conspiracy that led to a woman's death on February 14, 2021. He acknowledged that one of his coconspirators distributed cocaine to her, which she used before dying.
Sentencing for Randolph will occur after a presentence report is prepared. Until then, he remains in custody. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and could receive life imprisonment. Additionally, he may be fined up to $10 million and face supervised release ranging from eight years to life.
Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Nicole Nagin prosecuted the case. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Dubuque Drug Task Force.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the U.S., using an intelligence-driven approach.
