Oakland Man Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Money Laundering

Jackson, Miss – Michael Maes, age 30, of Oakland, California was found guilty today on 8 of 9 charges of distribution of methamphetamine and money laundering after a three and a half day jury trial in front of U.S. District Judge Halil Sul Ozerden, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and HSI Special Agent in Charge Jere T. Miles and DEA Special Agent in Charge  Derryle Smith.

Between June 2016 and February 2017, Maes was sending packages of methamphetamine to addresses in Slidell, Louisiana for distribution in the Southern District of Mississippi. The individuals distributing that methamphetamine would then deposit proceeds from those sales into Wells Fargo accounts in Biloxi and Gulfport at Maes’s direction. All of the individuals distributingmethamphetamine on the Mississippi Coast had previously pled guilty to their activities. The jury, after several hours of deliberation, found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to commit money laundering and five specific acts of money laundering.  He was acquitted of one specific act of money laundering.

Maes will be sentenced on December 13, 2018, by Judge Ozerden, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Meynardie and Kathlyn Van Buskirk.