Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Chicago man has been sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy that led to the death of a young woman in Dubuque, Iowa. Maurice Levelle Randolph, 45, pleaded guilty on December 5, 2024, to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine near parks and schools in Dubuque from 2017 to April 2021. The conspiracy resulted in the woman's death on February 14, 2021.
During the plea hearing, Randolph admitted to being part of a network distributing cocaine in Dubuque. He transported cocaine from Chicago and collaborated with others for its distribution. On February 14, 2021, one of his co-conspirators provided cocaine to the victim, who later died after using it.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Randolph in Cedar Rapids to 292 months' imprisonment. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $13,911 in restitution jointly with two other individuals to the victim's family and will serve an eight-year supervised release term following his imprisonment. The court also forfeited $17,203 seized as drug proceeds from Randolph. There is no parole available under the federal system.
Randolph remains in United States Marshal’s custody pending transfer to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Nicole Nagin and investigated by several agencies under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice. This task force includes cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, and Dubuque Drug Task Force which consists of Dubuque Police Department and Dubuque Sheriff’s Office.
The OCDETF aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated approach involving multiple agencies.
