Columbia, Kingdom City Men Sentenced for Drug-trafficking Conspiracy

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two co-defendants have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and powder cocaine in Boone County, Mo.

Travis Dewayne Dennis, 33, of Columbia, Mo., and Ronnie Lee Gillette, 55, of Kingdom City, Mo., and were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Dennis was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. Gillette was sentenced to three years and four months in federal prison without parole.

On April 8, 2016, Dennis pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. According to court documents, Dennis sold a total of 63.94 grams of crack cocaine to a confidential informant on five separate occasions. Dennis distributed crack cocaine that was supplied to him by co-defendant Malcolm Desean Redmon, also known as “Harp,” 33, of Columbia.

Redmon was sentenced on Sept. 29, 2016, to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole. Redmon pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of powder cocaine and crack cocaine in Boone County from November 2011 to August 2014.

According to court documents, Redmon – the leader of the criminal conspiracy – and those working for him received a total of four kilograms of powder cocaine over the course of the conspiracy. During the investigation, law enforcement purchased 216.78 grams of crack cocaine and 46.04 grams of powder cocaine from members of the conspiracy. Law enforcement also seized 55.5 grams of crack cocaine and 93.63 grams of powder cocaine. The interception of telephone calls and statements made by co-defendants reflected a substantial number of additional transactions between members of the conspiracy. Court documents also cite Redmon’s involvement in numerous shooting incidents and his history of criminal activity, including violent crimes and drug use.

On April 22, 2016, Gillette pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and to using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime. According to court documents, Gillette was a trusted lieutenant who worked for co-defendant Kenneth Scott, Sr., 48, of Fulton, Mo.

Scott, who was sentenced on Sept. 29, 2016, to 10 years in federal prison without parole, pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy, to being a felon in possession of firearms and to money laundering. Scott admitted that he was a major distributor of cocaine to various persons in the mid-Missouri area, including Columbia and Fulton. Scott was responsible for distributing more than six kilograms of cocaine, some of which had been converted into many pounds of crack cocaine.

Gillette and Dennis are among 14 defendants in this case who have been sentenced; 12 defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, MUSTANG (the Mid-Missouri Unified Strike Team and Narcotics Group), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Boone County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.