COLUMBUS, Ohio — Seven people, including four women from the Columbus area, were convicted of trafficking thousands of oxycodone pills and three kilograms of meth into Columbus from Florida and California, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker’s Office.
The final person charged in the narcotics and money laundering conspiracy, 47-year-old Michael Moore of Inglewood, California, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. A release from Parker’s office says that he and six women were responsible for trafficking drugs and conspiring to launder more than $2.5 million in drug proceeds.
Moore admitted to conspiring to launder money and pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute the drugs.
He has a recommended sentence range of 11 to 16 years in prison.
The six women were also accused of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth and oxycodone. According to court records, from at least 2015 to 2018, the group was found to have illegally taken pills from Florida to Ohio and from California to Ohio and trafficked in meth from California.
The six women convicted include:
- Mykell Reeneesha Uneek Hawes, 33, of Cerritos, California, has a pending sentence.
- Brandy Monique Casey, 44, of Inglewood, California, has a pending sentence.
- Marisa A. Wallace, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced to 72 months in prison.
- Angela Faber, 41, of Reynoldsburg, was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
- Heather Russell, 36, of Columbus, was sentenced 48 months in prison.
- Janette Breckenridge, 33, of Columbus, was sentenced 48 months in prison.
In total, Kenneth’s office says the group obtained and distributed between 5,656 and 100,000 30-milligram oxycodone pills, which were then sold for between $20 and $30 per pill.
The group reportedly opened bank accounts at several banks and made money transfers, concealing cash and flying it on commercial flights, according to the release.