October 22, 2007

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated Colin Skeete, 22, of Brooklyn, New York was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute over a half kilogram of cocaine. Skeete was sentenced by the Honorable William K. Sessions, III, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont. After serving his prison sentence, Skeete will be on federal supervised release for four years. Judge Sessions ordered that today’s sentence be served concurrently to the sentence Skeete is currently serving in New York State for violating probation for a 2003 conviction for criminal sale of a controlled substance in Brooklyn, New York.

Court documents reflect that the defendant and his coconspirator Wendel Richard brought cocaine from Brooklyn, New York, and distributed it in Rutland, Vermont during a six-month period in 2005. According to court records, these conspirators were bringing between 62 and 125 grams of cocaine to the Rutland area every two weeks for a period of several months. The Rutland Police Department arrested Skeete and Richard after they sold cocaine to a confidential informant at a local parking lot on December 15. After his arrest, the Rutland Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendants’ residence. There the police found drug packaging materials, a digital scale, and a loaded .357 caliber hand gun. They also found over 200 grams of cocaine.

Richard was sentenced to five years of imprisonment on October 15, 2007. Upon completion of his sentence, Richard will also be on federal supervised release for four years.

United States Attorney Thomas D. Anderson thanked the Rutland Police Department, who investigated the case. Skeete was represented by Matthew Harnett, Esq. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth C. Woodcock prosecuted the case for the United States.