Title of the news release goes here
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas Walker announced that in federal court yesterday Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III, sentenced JOHN VALENTIN, JR., 35, of New Bern, North Carolina to 132 months imprisonment followed by five years supervised release.
On November 8, 2011, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment. On February 6, 2012, VALENTIN pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (crack), in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 841(a)(1), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1).
According to the investigation, police responded to a report of a shooting at VALENTIN’s residence. When officers arrived, they found that VALENTIN had been transported to the hospital as a result of a gunshot wound. The police investigation revealed that two masked men forced entry into VALENTIN’s house, assaulting VALENTIN and demanding to know where money was located. VALENTIN was shot once in the thigh before his assailants fled on foot. A search of the house resulted in the seizure of numerous items of drug paraphernalia as well as a quantity of crack cocaine and a .45 caliber handgun from VALENTIN’s bedroom closet. Shortly after his release from the hospital, officers from New Bern Police Department’s narcotics unit arranged a controlled purchase of crack cocaine from VALENTIN.
This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the New Bern Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Special Assistant United States Attorney Augustus Willis represents the government. Mr. Willis is a prosecutor with the District 3-B District Attorney’s Office encompassing Carteret, Craven and Pamlico Counties. District Attorney Scott Thomas has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters. Mr. Willis’ position is funded by a grant funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission.
