Five Southern Illinois Residents Charged With Crack Cocaine Offense

Five southern Illinois residents were indicted on September 8, 2015, in a one-count superseding indictment, charging conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Keenon J. Farr, a/k/a "Keeno," 32, Roderick L. McClain, a/k/a "Big Bama," 30, and Jeffery L. Cain, a/k/a "Fatz," 35, all of Carbondale, Tommy T. Langston, a/k/a "G," 35, of Herrin, and Tammy R. Whitton, 45, of Mt. Vernon, are charged with conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. The indictment alleges that the offense occurred between October 2014 and July 2015, in Williamson and Jackson Counties. Farr and McClain made their initial appearances in federal court in Benton on September 17, 2015. They are currently being held without bond pending a September 22, 2015, detention hearing. Cain, Langston, and Whitton have previously made court appearances and are being held without bond pending a November 14, 2015, jury trial.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

If convicted, the crack cocaine offense carries a penalty of a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 40 years in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, and a $5,000,000 fine.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, Drug Enforcement Administration, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and Carbondale Police Department. The Williamson and Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Offices also assisted in the investigation.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.