10 Defendants Plead Guilty For Their Roles In Major Jamestown Area Methamphetamine Ring As Federal Trial Was Set To Begin

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that 10 defendants pleaded guilty during June and July 2020, to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, five grams or more of methamphetamine before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Misha A. Coulson and Brendan T. Cullinane, who are handling the case, stated that between March 2017 and October 2018, the 10 defendants conspired with six other co-defendants to operate a drug trafficking organization, primarily involving the distribution of methamphetamine, in the Jamestown area. Pleading guilty to the conspiracy charges were:

• Andrew C. Bennett, 31, of Randolph, NY, pleaded guilty on June 4, 2020;
• Jacob A. Motherwell, 31, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty on June 22, 2020; 
• Destiny J. Hare, 31, of Randolph, NY, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2020;
• Michael A. Davis, 36, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2020, also pleaded guilty to   possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking;
• Ryan R. Lopez, 26, of Palmdale, California, pleaded guilty on July 1, 2020;
• Martin Marcus Bowman, 29, of San Bernardino, California, pleaded guilty on July 2, 2020;
• Jamell Trapp, a/k/a KS, 29, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty on July 1, 2020, also pleaded guilty to   possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon;
• Henry Stovall, Jr., 42, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty on July 7, 2020;
• Danny W. Michael, III, 47, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2020; and
• Alexis V. Hall, 25, of Harrison, NJ, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2020. 

During the execution of search warrants throughout the investigation, law enforcement officers recovered 10 firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition, over 20 cellular telephones, drug paraphernalia, and U.S. currency.

The trial for the 10 defendants was scheduled to begin in federal court this morning.

The six co-defendants who were previously convicted include: Zackiel Fields, Jr.; Ernest Cauley, Jr.; Ramael O. Fields; Stephanie L. Harrison; Searcy E. Fields; and Stacie N. Yancer.

“Through the tremendous partnership between federal and local law enforcement, 16 individuals who committed federal crimes have been brought to justice, and a well-armed drug trafficking organization responsible for polluting Jamestown and the Southern Tier with highly addictive and debilitating methamphetamine has been dismantled,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy.  “My Office and our DOJ law enforcement partners are always looking for ways to help to support local law enforcement as they work tirelessly on the front lines in the fight to preserve law and order and strengthen the communities they serve by making them safer and more secure. In this case, I say, ‘mission accomplished.’”

The pleas are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Belongia; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Timothy Jackson; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major James Hall;  the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Chautauqua County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb; the Ellicott Police Department, under the direction of Chief William Ohnmeiss Jr., and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin.  

Sentencings will be scheduled at a later date.