Four Southern Illinois Residents Charged With Methamphetamine Conspiracy

On February 4, 2014, Gregory A. Emery, 47, Murphysboro, and Brandon K. Craig, 31, Tasha L. Craig, 30, and Rachel L. Simmerman, 41, all of Carbondale, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

The offense occurred between 2010 and January 2014, in Jackson, Williamson, Union, and Franklin Counties. The four co-defendants made their initial appearances in federal court on February 10, 2014. At February 14, 2014, detention hearings, Emery, Brandon Craig, and Tasha Craig were ordered held without bond pending an April 21, 2014, jury trial.

The methamphetamine offense carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000.

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.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Murphysboro Police Department, the Carbondale Police Department, the Illinois State Police/Southern Illinois Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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