District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez on Monday sentenced three defendants for a money laundering conspiracy that operated from Los Angeles to St. Thomas, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
– Demincia Dore, 31, of St. Thomas was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $100 special assessment.
– Kishma Weeks, 27, of St. Croix was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $100 special assessment.
– Tamisha McBean, 32, of St. Thomas was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $100 special assessment.
All three defendants were also ordered to forfeit to the United States $351,000, payable jointly and severally, which represents the proceeds from the sale of the marijuana in this case, according to Sharpe.
Dore pleaded guilty on June 30 to Count 27 of the superseding indictment, which charged money laundering conspiracy. Weeks and McBean pleaded guilty to that count on July 6. According to the plea agreements filed with the court, between July 2012 and December 2013, Dore, Weeks and McBean were members of a drug trafficking organization that shipped barrels containing at least 700 kilograms but less than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana concealed in Chow Mein cans from Los Angeles to St. Thomas utilizing a trucking company.
Dore, Weeks, and McBean deposited or caused to be deposited more than $100,000, which represented proceeds from the marijuana sales, into their bank accounts on St. Thomas, and then wired, or caused the marijuana proceeds to be electronically wired, to other members of the conspiracy on the mainland United States.
Clarence Griffin, Robert Brown and Trevor Dolphin pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and were sentenced on March 5, 2015, and Oct. 6. Felix, who pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy, was sentenced on Oct. 6, and Larry Thompson, who pleaded guilty to misprision of felony, was sentenced Aug. 25.
The case was the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Sharpe said. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith.
