Four Additional Individuals Sentenced In Oxycodone Conspiracy

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On Jan. 24, 2014, three additional individuals involved in an oxycodone distribution conspiracy were sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge. Ashley Nicole Gray Patterson, 29, of Morristown, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 70 months in federal prison. Upon her release from prison, she will be subject to six years of supervised release, under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office. Kerry Glenn Nelson, 44, of Morristown, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 48 months in federal prison. Upon his release from prison, he will also be subject to supervised release for three years. Kimberly Ann Vanover, 39, of Tazewell, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 15 months in federal prison. Upon her release from prison, she will be subject to supervised release for four years. On Jan. 27, 2014, Tamara Michelle Moles, 45, of Morristown, Tenn. was sentenced to serve 51 months in federal prison. Upon her release from prison, she will be subject to supervised release for three years. There is no parole in the federal system.

In October 2012 Patterson, Nelson, Vanover, Moles, and eight others were named in an 18-count federal indictment. Charges in the indictment involved drug trafficking of oxycodone, oxymorphone, and methamphetamine, firearms violations, and money laundering. Patterson, Nelson, Vanover, and Moles were each charged with conspiring to distribute oxycodone. Patterson was also charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Vanover was also charged with distributing oxycodone. The charges initiated from a lengthy investigation of the 12 individuals who traveled by commercial airlines and automobiles to Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia, to obtain oxycodone and other drugs to distribute throughout eastern Tennessee. The total conspiracy involved over 778,000 milligrams of oxycodone, which is the equivalent of nearly 26,000 dose units of 30 milligram oxycodone. All 12 charged in the indictment have been convicted. Two remain to be sentenced in 2014.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian commended the law enforcement agencies who were involved in this investigation. “Prescription drugs, including oxycodone, continue to be a major problem in east Tennessee. Powerful narcotics are highly addictive and can lead to criminal activity, as evidenced by the extensive efforts of this drug trafficking organization. Our office will continue to work closely with all law enforcement agencies to cut off the illegal supply lines of oxycodone and other prescription narcotics,” stated Killian.

Agencies involved in this investigation included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Morristown Police Department, and Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Kerney-Quillen represented the United States.