FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THURSDAY - June 12, 2008
BURGAW MAN INTIMIDATED WITNESS: RECEIVES 20 YEARS IN PRISON
RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court yesterday United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced TERRON MCALLISTER, 40, of Burgaw, North Carolina, to 240 months’ imprisonment and five years supervised release following his term of confinement for possessing with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack) and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Court upwardly departed due to witness intimidation.
A Federal Grand Jury returned a Second Superseding Criminal Indictment on March 7, 2007, and on June 18, 2007, MCALLISTER pled guilty. On July 6, 2005, Pender County Sheriff’s Deputies coordinated a controlled purchase of cocaine. On December 20, 2005, a search warrant was executed on a residence in Currie, North Carolina. Upon entering the residence, they found MCALLISTER asleep on a couch. Beneath MCALLISTER and between the couch cushions was found a loaded Springfield Armory, Model XP-40, .40 caliber pistol. MCALLISTER was arrested. During processing into the jail, a baggy containing 3.1 grams of crack cocaine was found in MCALLISTER’s jacket.
It was revealed that a co-defendant, Roberto Perez, paid MCALLISTER 4.5 ounces of cocaine per month per year (1,531 grams total) to serve as security for Perez’s drug operations. In April, 2007, Perez, who had also been arrested following the December, 2005, search warrant, and who was prepared to testify against MCALLISTER, was physically assaulted numerous times at the request of MCALLISTER while being detained.
On July 10, 2007, agents learned that another inmate that was preparing to testify against MCALLISTER had been taunted and was about to be assaulted when a jailer walked by.
MCALLISTER has previous felony convictions for manslaughter and accessory after the fact.
This case is part of the Eastforce investigation entitled Doubletake, in which nine people have been prosecuted on drug and gun charges.
Mr. Holding applauded the efforts of this Eastforce investigation. “Operation Eastforce was developed by the office six year ago to target its most serious mid-level drug traffickers in our communities. This defendant is a perfect example of the offenders Eastforce targets: An armed and dangerous drug trafficker who will stop at nothing to avoid prosecution so he can continue his illicit trade. Judge Dever’s lengthy sentence puts 20 years between this defendant and the law-abiding citizens of Eastern North Carolina.”Investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pender County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes served as prosecutor for the government.
News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.
