sioux city man sentenced to federal prison for crack convictions
Contact:Peter Deegan
A man who conspired to distribute crack cocaine was sentenced July 13, 2011, to 25 years in federal prison.
Sidney Charles, 56, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 31, 2011, guilty plea to one count of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, two counts of distributing and aiding and abetting another in distributing crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a public school or playground, and two counts of possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute. Charles was previously convicted of possession with intent to deliver cocaine in 1996, and of going armed with intent to cause serious injury in 2007, both in the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County.
At the guilty plea, Charles admitted he conspired to distribute crack cocaine in Sioux City from January 2010 through about August 2010. During the conspiracy, Charles and his co-conspirators acquired multiple ounces of crack cocaine from sources in Omaha, Nebraska, for distribution to customers in Sioux City. Charles admitted he distributed crack cocaine in May and April 2010 to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. Charles also admitted he possessed crack cocaine on two occasions with the intent to distribute the crack cocaine to others. Several of the drug distributions occurred within 1,000 feet of protected locations, including Smith and Riverside Elementary Schools, and Sanford Park.
Charles was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Charles was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $500 was imposed. He must also serve an 8-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Charles is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 10-4083.
