Date: May 17, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Columbus, OH — The final defendant charged in narcotics and money laundering conspiracies pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today. Seven defendants are responsible for conspiring to traffic thousands of oxycodone pills and more than three kilograms of methamphetamine into Ohio from Florida and California, and for conspiring to launder more than $2.5 million in drug proceeds. Michael J. Moore of Inglewood, California, admitted to conspiring to launder the proceeds of methamphetamine and oxycodone trafficking. Moore also pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute the drugs. As part of Moore's plea, the parties involved have recommended a range of 11 to 16 years in prison. According to court documents, from at least 2015 through at least 2018, Moore and six women conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and oxycodone. The defendants illegally diverted and transported oxycodone pills from Florida to Ohio and from California to Ohio. They trafficked methamphetamine from California to Ohio. For example, Moore obtained fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions in Florida on approximately 10 occasions between 2015 and 2016, allowing him to obtain more than 1,000 pills. Lower-level members of the conspiracy fraudulently obtained a substantial number of pills, providing them to higher-level members and keeping the balance of the pills as payment to feed their addictions. In total, 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. Moore also admitted to being involved in the shipping and distribution of at least 3,114 grams of methamphetamine that was approximately 98 percent pure. Moore and the others conspired to launder the drug proceeds by opening bank accounts at several financial institutions, making money transfers, and concealing cash and flying it on commercial flights. The other defendants convicted in this case include: Name City Sentence Imposed Mykell Reeneesha Uneek Hawes Cerritos, California Pending sentencing Brandy Monique Casey Inglewood, California Pending sentencing Marisa A. Wallace Columbus, Ohio 72 months in prison Angela N. Faber Reynoldsburg, Ohio 48 months in prison Heather M. Russell Columbus, Ohio 48 months in prison Janette M. Breckenridge Columbus, Ohio 48 months in prison Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced the guilty plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Whitehall Police Department assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.
