Tampa Man Found Guilty in Marijuana Distribution Conspiracy
Tampa, Florida - U.S. Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announces that on Friday, a federal jury found Maurice Lavon Johnson ( 30, Tampa) guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana following a three-day trial before United States District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington. Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2012.
Johnson was indicted on November 17, 2010 with co-defendants Joel Christopher Williams and Rajeev Pherwani. Williams and Pherwani pled guilty and will be sentenced on November 22, 2011.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Johnson served as an enforcer and marijuana quality expert for a group which met with undercover officers from the Tampa Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration last October and attempted to purchase several hundred pounds of marijuana.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Walter E. Furr, III.
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