Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Lucas County resident has received a prison sentence of more than 11 years for mailing books soaked with illegal drugs to inmates at a local correctional facility. Austin Siebert, 30, of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty in August to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Siebert’s prior convictions include aggravated trafficking in drugs in 2018 and robbery in 2021. In addition to his prison term, he will serve four years of supervised release following his incarceration. Judge Nugent imposed the sentence on November 18.
According to court records, officials at the Grafton Correctional Institution in Lorain County found that Siebert was regularly communicating with multiple inmates and sending them packages containing books. Investigators confiscated several suspicious book packages, which were analyzed by forensic experts. The analysis confirmed the presence of synthetic cannabinoids including 5-Fluoro-ADB and MDMB-4en-PINACA.
Following these findings, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Siebert’s home in Maumee. There they seized a paperback book suspected of being laced with narcotics; a loaded Bersa Thunder .380 semiautomatic pistol; multiple bags containing pills and powder believed to be drugs; a book binding machine; and package mailing labels.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led the investigation, supported by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and staff from the Grafton Correctional Institution.
Assistant United States Attorney Segev Phillips prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
