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Press Release

Three Men Indicted For Conspiracy To Mail 3,000 Pills Of Oxycodone From California To Ohio

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

Three men were indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute nearly 3,000 pills of Oxycodone, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Indicted are: Myron D. Black, age 44, of Mansfield, Ohio; Chauncey L. Ransom, age 49, of Inglewood, California, and Victor A. Hageman, age 45, of Euclid, Ohio.

“Prescription pill abuse is a major problem in Ohio,” Dettelbach said. “Whether it is a doctor selling prescriptions or people using the mail to ship pills across the country, we are committed to stopping the flow of illegal drugs.”

Ransom obtained a total of 2,989 pills (30 mg each) of Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, in California and mailed them to Black, Hageman and other in Ohio via the United States Postal Service Express Mail, according to the indictment.

Ransom often packaged the pills in video movie disc covers, plastic bubble mailing envelopes and other packaging to conceal the contents, according to the indictment.

Black and Hageman made arrangements with other individuals to receive the package from Ransom in return for money, usually $200, according to the indictment.

The conspiracy took place between at least August 2012 through April 2013, with Ransom mailing packages to addresses in Lakewood, Seven Hills, Akron and Mansfield containing shipments of between 200 and 600 pills, according to the indictment.

The indictment results from an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, in Cleveland, with the assistance of Metro-Richland County (Ohio) Enforcement Unit, and the Akron, Police Department, as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service, in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christian H. Stickan.

If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated March 12, 2015