Springfield Woman Pleads Guilty to $1.3 Million Mail Fraud Related to Distributing K2

 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a $1.3 million mail fraud conspiracy related to distributing at least 188 kilograms of synthetic marijuana, commonly referred to as K2.

Victoria A. Butchee, also known as Victoria A. Wohlin, 28, of Springfield, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information. As a result, the federal criminal complaint filed against Butchee on June 25, 2013, will be dismissed.

Butchee admitted that she participated in a conspiracy between March 1, 2011, and June 24, 2013, to defraud the Food and Drug Administration and to defraud the public by falsely representing that a number of synthetic cannabinoid products were “incense” or “potpourri” and “not for human consumption.” In reality, Butchee admitted, these substances contained compounds that were intended for human consumption as a drug.

Butchee manufactured and distributed synthetic cannabinoids. Based upon the invoices, ledgers, and product seizures by law enforcement, this conspiracy was responsible for the manufacture and/or distribution of at least 188.14038 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoid products.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Butchee must forfeit to the government $1,354,034, which represents the total amount of money involved in the conspiracy, $31,580 that was seized by law enforcement officers, and four rifles and a shotgun that were seized by law enforcement officers.

Today’s plea agreement cites a number of transactions in which materials used to manufacture and distribute synthetic cannabinoids were shipped via UPS or FedEx to members of the conspiracy – including controlled substance analogues (synthetic chemical compounds similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana), green leafy substances which served as carrier media, labels that were affixed to packages of “Donkey Punch,” “Jolly Grape Giant,” “South of the Tracks,” “Baby Face,” “Scarface,” “Hillbilly Hay,” and other synthetic cannabinoid products, and foil and plastic packaging bags.

Under federal statutes, Butchee is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.