Several sentences were handed down Tuesday in federal court in Jefferson City.
Among those sentenced was a California man who pleaded guilty to charges for his role in conspiracies to distribute large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine in Cole and Moniteau counties.
Adolfo Almazan-Hernandez, 43, pleaded guilty to methamphetamine conspiracy and cocaine conspiracy. He was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Almazan-Hernandez accompanied his brother on a June 2012 drug transaction and performed whatever task his brother instructed him to do, including retrieving monies to be provided in the transaction, and transporting methamphetamine to a Jefferson City hotel room to be provided in the transaction.
Also sentenced was a Jefferson City man who pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Floyd Lee Willis, 31, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, with that sentence to be served concurrently to his sentence in state prison.
On Aug. 20, 2011, officers with the Jefferson City Police Department responded to Willis' Atchison Street apartment due to a complaint by Willis concerning an intoxicated individual banging on his door. Upon arriving, officers encountered an intoxicated male outside the residence and secured him in handcuffs. The man told officers that Willis had taken his gun and that he had it inside the residence.
Officers contacted Willis who said he gave the man a ride to his residence, but denied any knowledge of the gun. When officers asked to search the residence, Willis initially granted permission. Officers began to search the residence, but when they came to a small utility closet which contained the furnace and began searching the furnace, Willis suddenly withdrew his consent and demanded the officers leave the apartment.
Officers remained at the apartment until a search warrant was obtained. They immediately went to the furnace, and upon removing the bottom access plate, they located two pistols lying inside the furnace on top of the air filter. When officers sought to place Willis under arrest, he broke free and ran off. Despite a foot pursuit and search, Willis was not located that night, but was eventually taken into custody.
A Fulton man must serve 15 years in federal prison on two separate cases for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and felon in possession of a firearm.
Corey Brewer, 30, was part of a group that went to a residence in Kansas City to get a drug shipment.
Surveillance was maintained on the vehicle until it was stopped on Interstate 70 in Boone County. A canine subsequently alerted on the truck, resulting in the discovery and seizure of approximately one kilogram of cocaine under the front passenger seat. Approximately 50 pounds of marijuana were seized from inside a black suitcase inside a metal toolbox in the bed of the pickup.
Although he initially stated he had gone to Kansas City to bid a roofing job and was unaware of any drug activity during the trip, when confronted with the fact that he was under surveillance while in Kansas City, Brewer replied that investigators should then be aware that he carried the marijuana from the apartment building. He admitted that his fingerprints would be on every bundle of marijuana. During his interview, Brewer also stated that he began transporting loads of marijuana, cocaine and/or ice in 2006, but he stopped driving in 2007 when he went to prison. He was presented with a typewritten statement containing a portion of the above details and acknowledged that the statement was accurate, but refused to sign it.
As far as the firearm possession charge, in September 2012, Brewer told a Fulton police officer that he had a .45-caliber pistol and later was found to have purchased more than 40 boxes of ammunition. Court records showed he had been convicted for four felonies prior to making these purchases.
Also sentenced was a Mexican national for possessing methamphetamine that she intended to distribute in Morgan County and for illegally reentering the United States.
Maria Teresa Marrufo, 48, a citizen of Mexico residing in Gardner, Kan., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 19, 2013, Marrufo pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.
According to court documents, Marrufo was arrested in Morgan County while delivering 224 grams of pure methamphetamine. Her 16-year-old son was driving the car, and Maruffo, the passenger, provided an alias when confronted by officers.
At the time she committed this offense, Maruffo was still on supervised release for a prior drug offense. Maruffo was convicted of two drug-trafficking felonies for attempting to smuggle marijuana into the United States. After being charged and released, Maruffo absconded and remained a fugitive from justice for 12 years. She was deported in 2012, but illegally reentered the United States and resumed her illegal drug-trafficking activities.
A Camden County man was sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing a firearm.
Donald George LaFlamme III, 37, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 25, 2013, LaFlamme pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Lake Ozark police officers were dispatched to LaFlamme's room at a local hotel on Sept. 26, 2010, in reference to a domestic disturbance call. Officers contacted Krystle Ann Gezendorf, 27, who reported that she had been assaulted by LaFlamme, her boyfriend. When officers searched the hotel room, they found a Clerke .32-caliber revolver under the bed as well as a hypodermic needle, a bag containing methamphetamine and a piece of aluminum foil containing methamphetamine.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. LaFlamme has a prior felony conviction for fraudulently attempting to obtain a controlled substance.
Gezendorf told officers that LaFlamme had a large amount of money and methamphetamine that was likely stashed nearby. Hotel staff reported seeing LaFlamme entering several rooms and two housekeeping closets prior to law enforcement arriving. When officers searched those areas, they found additional methamphetamine and $2,525.
Gezendorf told federal agents that LaFlamme acquired approximately one half pound of methamphetamine approximately two to three times a week from a source in Kansas City, Mo., named Lorenzo Carbajal Pina, 52.
On Nov. 23, 2010, Camdenton police officers were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash involving a 1996 Chevrolet Blazer. LaFlamme was discovered unconscious behind the wheel of the Blazer. He had to be extricated from the vehicle and was placed inside an ambulance to be transported to the hospital. While tending to LaFlamme, ambulance personnel discovered four bags of methamphetamine weighing approximately two ounces, a bag containing a user quantity of marijuana, and $3,054 inside LaFlamme's pants pockets.
Gezendorf was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to her role in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Pina was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.