Inmate at USP Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute Suboxone, Possess Suboxone, and Making False Statements

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Victor Lebron, an inmate at USP Lee in Jonesville, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 180 months in prison for conspiring to illegally possess and distribute buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone, while incarcerated and lying to investigators about it, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced today.

Following a jury trial in December 2018, Victor Lebron, 43, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to distribute Suboxone, distributing Suboxone, and making false statements. Christy Santiago, who was also convicted following the December 2018 trial, was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison.

According to evidence presented at the trial, Santiago, who was Lebron’s girlfriend at the time, transferred several balloons full of Suboxone to Lebron during a visit to USP Lee. Lebron swallowed the balloons, which were later defecated by the defendant while he was held in a dry cell for suspicion of possession of narcotics. When questioned, Lebron denied getting the drugs from Santiago. Evidence presented at trial showed a series of discussions between the two leading up to Santiago’s visit regarding the transfer of drugs.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Bureau of Prisons.  Assistant United States Attorneys Randy Ramseyer and Kate Rumsey prosecuted the case for the United States.