A federal grand jury has issued a superseding indictment against James Jackson, 39, and Alicia Osar, 37, both residents of Jamestown, New York. The charges include narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and could result in life imprisonment. Additionally, Jackson faces an extra charge for maintaining a drug-involved premises.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti explained that the indictment alleges Jackson and Osar conspired with Ernest W. Brown, Joseph S. Zaso, and others to distribute fentanyl between 2018 and February 2025. The indictment also accuses Jackson of using a residence on Bush Street in Jamestown from 2019 to 2021 to manufacture and sell heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Jackson is currently detained while Osar has been released under certain conditions. Brown and Zaso have already been convicted in connection with the case and are awaiting sentencing.
"This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion," according to the press release from U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo’s office. "The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States."
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Jamestown Police Department led by Acting Chief Scott D. Forster; the Drug Enforcement Administration under Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam of the New York Field Division; and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office headed by Sheriff James Quattrone.
It was emphasized that charges are accusations only; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
