Member of Capital District Drug Trafficking Organization Admits to Dealing Methamphetamine

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Todd Austin, age 64, of Gloversville, New York, pled guilty today to conspiracy and drug distribution charges in connection with his distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of pure methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), made the announcement.

Austin admitted that between March and July 2023, he obtained methamphetamine from his Albany-based methamphetamine supplier that he then sold to others from his Gloversville residence.

Austin was one of nine defendants to be charged in this investigation. The following defendants have pled guilty and have been sentenced or are pending sentencing:

• Andrew Deleon was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release;
• Stefanie Plass was sentenced to 24 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release;
• Ahmad Burke is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9, 2025;
• Keisha Duboise is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2025;
• Flor Arencibia is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2025; and
• Melissa Karwan is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2025.

Austin faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life. He will be sentenced on June 6, 2025, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

Charges against the two remaining defendants, Felix Arencibia and Christian Mur-Santana, are pending.  The charges in the indictment against Arencibia and Mur-Santana are merely accusations. They are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  

These cases are being investigated by the DEA and USPIS. Assistant United States Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the cases.

These cases are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.