FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
MARCH 1, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BALTIMORE MAN SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE CRACK COCAINE
Defendant’s Efforts to Avoid Arrest Unsuccessful
Baltimore, Maryland - Jermaine Johnson, age 29, of Baltimore, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Chief U.S. District Judge Benson E. Legg enhanced Johnson’s sentence upon finding that he is a career criminal based on two prior convictions for a controlled substance offense.
According to his guilty plea, on July 24, 2005, Baltimore City Police officers observed Jermaine Johnson receive money from a female at a parking lot of a carry-out restaurant on Holabird Avenue in Baltimore City, and then hand the female small objects. Johnson saw the undercover officers in their car and the officers asked him for “two,” meaning two packages of drugs. Johnson replied that he would not sell anything to them because he thought they were police officers. At that point two other persons on the lot sold several items of controlled substances to the undercover officers. When a team of arresting officers arrived, Johnson ran. Pursuing officers saw him drop an object to the ground. Johnson was arrested. Officers recovered 10 black ziplock bags containing approximately 2 grams of crack cocaine and $356 from Johnson; and a Rohm revolver, .22 caliber pistol from the site where they saw Johnson drop an object.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Baltimore City Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their investigative work, and commended Assistant United States Attorney A. David Copperthite, who prosecuted the case.