Worcester Man Sentenced for Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

BOSTON – A Worcester man has been sentenced in federal court in Worcester for conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine. 

Angel Cordova, 39, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. In December 2021, Cordova pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. 

In March 2019, intercepted communications determined Cordova was conspiring with a least five others – including Junior Melendez Juan Rodriguez, Antoine Mack, Kevin Jean, and Carlos Richards – to buy significant quantities of powder cocaine, convert some of that powder cocaine into crack cocaine and distribute powder and crack cocaine in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. From March 2019 through June 2019, investigators identified over four kilograms of cocaine that Melendez either purchased or sold, including over 300 grams of cocaine that was seized in New Hampshire on May 25, 2019.    
   
Juan Rodriguez and Kevin Jean were convicted after a jury trial and sentenced to 52 months and 40 months in prison, respectively. Antoine Mack pleaded guilty and was sentenced 54 months in prison. Melendez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 156 months in prison. Carlos Richards remains a fugitive.   

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Valuable was provided by Massachusetts State Police, New Hampshire State Police, Shrewsbury Police and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm, Kristen M. Noto and Lauren A. Graber of Rollins’ Criminal Division prosecuted the cases.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.