News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2002

Two Florida Residents Arrested For Sale of MDMA

Today the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Miami, together with the U.S. Attorney's Office announce the arrest yesterday of two defendants involved in the sale of MDMA in Broward County, Florida. The defendants are identified as William A. CHASE, age 61, of Coral Springs, Florida and Charmaine M. LIVINGSTON, age 40, of Lauderhill, Florida. Mr. CHASE was also charged with money laundering. The Coral Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisted in this investigation.

The arrests were made yesterday after CHASE picked up approximately 1500 MDMA tablets from LIVINGSTON and delivered them to a DEA cooperating source in a restaurant parking lot in Tamarac, Broward County, Florida.

Following the arrests of the two defendants, a federal search warrant was executed at the residence of CHASE at 4917 NW 110 Terrace, in Coral Springs.

The investigation was initiated during the Summer of 2001 when CHASE engaged in drug related conversations with the cooperating source working with the DEA.

In September 2002, CHASE agreed to launder $25,000 in illegal drug proceeds, and subsequently did so, utilizing a company known as the SOSA GROUP INC. This company is owned by professional baseball player Sammy Sosa, and CHASE is the co-director, along with Mr. Sosa. The company is in the business of the import/export of leather and sporting goods between the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and the United States. CHASE advised that he is Mr. Sosa's Godfather.

In early October 2002, the cooperating source purchased 1,000 MDMA tablets from CHASE at the same time the cooperating source provided CHASE with the $25,000 to be laundered. CHASE subsequently gave the cooperating source three (3) corporate checks from the SOSA GROUP INC in amounts of $6,500, $7,500 and $9,000. The $23,000 was the amount laundered minus the laundering fee of $2,000.

The investigation to date has not shown Mr. Sosa to be involved in any way with the illegal activities that have been uncovered.

A bond hearing will be held today for both defendants at 11:00 AM at the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale located at 299 East Broward Boulevard.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) from DEA will be available at 1:00 PM at the DEA office in Miami for informal interviews. The DEA Miami office is located at 8400 N.W. 53 Street in Miami.

Stations interested in obtaining video taken yesterday by DEA of the events connected with this investigation should send their live trucks to the DEA Miami office to dub the tape from mini digital video form to your stations format. The tape is seven minutes in length.