August 26, 2009
NEW JERSEY MAN SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN JAIL
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Richard Hatcher, 32, of Vineland, New Jersey, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge, William K. Sessions, III, to 120 months in prison for conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine) in Vermont between September 7, 2006 and July of 2007. He was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service.
According to Court records, Hatcher, a member of the Bloods gang, was purchasing powder and crack cocaine in Vineland, New Jersey, and sending it to
a male cousin in Vermont for resale. To facilitate the conspiracy, the two men used a young woman who acted as a courier. The courier would travel to New Jersey by bus or plane carrying large amounts of cash. Once in New Jersey, she was met by Richard Hatcher who drove her to a local motel. Hatcher took the cash and returned with drugs wrapped in cellophane balls covered with duct tape. The courier, carrying the drug filled balls in her handbag or backpack, would take the bus back to Plattsburg, New York, where she was met by Hatcher’s cousin. Then, the drugs were sold in the Burlington, Vermont area.
Hatcher was first arrested in New Jersey on July 26, 2007 pursuant to a Vermont complaint. He was arrested by members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). On August 23, 2007, he was indicted by a Vermont federal grand jury. Hatcher pled guilty to Count I of the Indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine on May 23, 2007. He has been detained in prison since his arrest.
This case was investigated by the Burlington Police Department and the DEA with the assistance of New Jersey law enforcement agencies. The United States Attorney, Tristram J. Coffin, commends those agencies for their work. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Conroy, Craig Nolan, Paul Van de Graaf, and Nancy J. Creswell. Hatcher was represented by Lisa B. Shelkrot of Langrock, Sperry, & Wool, LLP.
