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For Immediate Release September 25, 2009

EAST ST. LOUIS MAN CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF DISTRIBUTION OF CRACK COCAINE

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on September 23, 2009, a federal grand jury sitting in East St. Louis returned an indictment charging KINDRICK JOHNSON, age 22, of East St. Louis, Illinois, with two counts of distributing crack cocaine. The indictment alleges the offenses occurred on July 15 and July 23, 2009, in St. Clair County.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

If convicted, JOHNSON faces not less than 5 years’ and not more than 40 years’ imprisonment, a $2 million fine, and at least 4 years of supervised release after completing his term of imprisonment on each count.

JOHNSON was arrested and appeared in United States District Court in East St. Louis on September 24, 2009, for arraignment on the charges. JOHNSON was ordered detained without bond and was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal. Trial in the case is set for November 30, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. in East St. Louis.

Investigation into the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This investigation arose out of the U.S. Attorney’s and U.S. Marshal’s initiative to combat violent crime in East St. Louis.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deirdre A. Durborow.