The United States Attorney's Office

EAST ST. LOUIS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MARIJUANA OFFENSE

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on October 27, 2009, IVORY MANUEL, age 42, of East St. Louis, Illinois, pled guilty in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois, to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

MANUEL is scheduled to be sentenced at 11:00 a.m. on February 5, 2010. MANUEL faces a statutory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, and a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a fine up to $4 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years following incarceration.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of its participation in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Administration (OCDETF), an initiative designed to dismantle and prosecute national and international drug distribution organizations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.