Date: May 5, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov The final of four defendants has been sentenced to federal prison for his part in a multi-state drug trafficking scheme. Charles House, of Anderson, Indiana was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after a federal jury found him guilty as charged on twelve counts, including attempting to traffic methamphetamine, trafficking in over 100 kilograms of marijuana, and illegally possessing twelve firearms. According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, in October 2018, the Madison County Drug Task Force initiated an investigation into Charles House's drug trafficking organization. House traveled to California to purchase narcotics and then mailed the narcotics to multiple addresses in Anderson, Indiana. The marijuana was then redistributed by co-conspirators Sean Brown and Marcus Hayes-Patterson in Anderson. Tommy Compton was House's Indianapolis source of supply for marijuana. All told, House procured over 8 kilograms of pure methamphetamine and over 450 kilograms of marijuana. Defendants facilitated their drug trafficking activities through the use of cellular phones and often used code words to try to conceal their illegal activities. In addition to his drug trafficking crimes, House was convicted two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, after law enforcement officers seized his firearms during execution of lawful searches. House is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law, following a prior felony conviction for dealing marijuana and operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in serious bodily injury. In total, House, and his three co-conspirators were sentenced as follows: Charles House, of Anderson, Indiana, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for drug trafficking conspiracy; methamphetamine trafficking; unlawful use of a cell phone to facilitate drug trafficking; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Sean Brown, of Anderson, Indiana, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for drug trafficking conspiracy; two counts of methamphetamine trafficking Tommy Compton, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for drug trafficking conspiracy; cocaine base trafficking; unlawful use of a cell phone to facilitate drug trafficking Marcus Hayes-Patterson, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for drug trafficking conspiracy; unlawful use of a cell phone to facilitate drug trafficking U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, Herbert J. Stapleton, Justin Campbell, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Indianapolis Field Office, Rodney Hopkins, Postal Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Detroit Division, Delaware County Sheriff Tony Skinner, and Madison County Sheriff made the announcement. This investigation was led by IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, Delaware County Sheriff's Office, Madison County Drug Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsay Karwoski and Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted this case. This prosecution is part of "Operation Glass Box," an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
