Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Robert Godinez, a 53-year-old resident of Hayward, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine and heroin with the intent to distribute, as well as using a cellphone to facilitate drug trafficking offenses. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
Court documents indicate that on August 30, 2019, law enforcement officers stopped Godinez during a traffic stop after he purchased methamphetamine and heroin from a dealer in Stockton. Officers searched his vehicle and found two pounds of methamphetamine and about half a pound of heroin. During the legal proceedings, Godinez submitted false declarations to the district court and lied to his probation officer. This led to an obstruction of justice sentencing enhancement.
The investigation into Godinez’s activities involved multiple agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, San Joaquin County Probation Department, Stockton Police Department, and Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Lee and Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF brings together various government agencies in efforts to dismantle criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, as well as human smuggling and trafficking rings both inside the United States and abroad. The task force emphasizes investigating crimes involving children and uses all available tools to prosecute violent offenders.
HSTF Sacramento includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office; with prosecutions led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
"There are no quotations in this press release."
