Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Justin Damonte Mitchell, 32, of Los Angeles, has pleaded guilty to charges related to a drug conspiracy based out of Kern Valley State Prison. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced the plea on Tuesday. The charges include conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of distributing fentanyl.
Court documents state that Mitchell was recruited by his brother, Kristopher Thomas, 37, who is currently serving a sentence for gang-related murder at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano. Thomas enlisted Mitchell’s help in carrying out drug transactions outside the prison. In September 2022, Mitchell delivered half a pound of fentanyl to Natasha Michelle Bailey, 46, of Bakersfield. Bailey intended to smuggle the drugs into the prison for another inmate, Derrick D. Charles, 43. Later that month, Mitchell helped Thomas ship packages containing about 48 pounds of methamphetamine for delivery in Oklahoma and Alabama. Authorities seized the drugs after intercepting calls from Thomas’s contraband cellphone.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Mitchell will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on December 1, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine; however, sentencing will ultimately depend on statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines considered by the court.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which targets major criminal organizations using an intelligence-driven approach involving multiple agencies through prosecutor leadership (https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF).
"Mitchell was recruited by his brother, co-defendant Kristopher Thomas, 37, who is serving a gang-related murder sentence at the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, to assist in drug transactions outside of prison."
"In September 2022, Mitchell agreed to and did deliver one-half pound of fentanyl to co-defendant Natasha Michelle Bailey, 46, of Bakersfield, to smuggle into the prison for another inmate, co-defendant Derrick D. Charles, 43."
"Later that month, Mitchell assisted Thomas in the shipment of packages containing approximately 48 pounds of methamphetamine intended for delivery in Oklahoma and Alabama."
"The fentanyl and methamphetamine seizures followed wire intercepts of Thomas’s contraband cellphone."
"This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service."
"Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case."
"Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Dec. 1, 2025."
"Mitchell faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine."
"The actual sentence...will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines..."
"The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies...the highest‑level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor‑led...multi‑agency approach."
Learn more at Justice.gov/OCDETF.
