California Man Sentenced In Drug Conspiracy And Money Laundering Scheme

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that an Arcata, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on March 24, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
         
Jaymar Stanton Adams, age 30, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release.  He will also forfeit $50,000 to the United States, which he acquired as a result of his illegal activities. 
         
Adams is the last of seven defendants to be sentenced in this drug conspiracy and money laundering case, in which they all received prison time.
         
Adams was indicted on September 10, 2013, for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 100 Kilograms of Marijuana and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.  He pled guilty to the distribution conspiracy charge on November 12, 2013, and the other charge was dismissed at sentencing.
         
Between the summer of 2008 and July 2012, Adams joined a conspiracy to illegally distribute marijuana in South Dakota and elsewhere.  During his involvement, he personally grew, harvested, obtained, and illegally distributed marijuana.  Throughout the course of the defendant’s involvement, marijuana was exchanged for cash and Adams personally accepted at least $50,000 in cash payments. 
           
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in both South Dakota and California, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office in California.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.      
         
Adams was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.