Lottery Winner Sentenced To 21 Years in Federal Prison for His Role in Drug Trafficking Ring

BRUNSWICK GA- Ronnie Music, Jr., 46, of Waycross, Georgia, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 21 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and for possessing a cache of firearms as a convicted felon. On July 22, 2016, Music pled guilty in federal court to conspiring to traffick large amounts of Methamphetamine and to being a felon in possession of firearms.

According to evidence presented in open court and in court filings, Music was a member of a multi-state drug organization that trafficked in kilogram quantities of crystal meth, also known as “Ice.” In February 2015, Music won $3 million in a scratch-off lottery game, which he then used to invest in kilograms of crystal meth to sell. In September 2015, federal agents arrested a number of Music’s conspirators who attempted to sell over 10 pounds of meth to undercover agents in a Winn Dixie parking lot in Brunswick, Georgia. Music was the supplier of the meth, and he watched nearby as his deal went south. Less than a month later, law enforcement arrested Music in Tennessee after he sold pounds of meth to a confidential informant. Music’s girlfriend and their infant daughter were passengers in the vehicle Music used to conduct the deal. Following his arrest, federal agents searched Music’s home and place of employment and seized 11 firearms, including assault style weapons, a prohibited sawed off shotgun and a stolen revolver. As a convicted felon, Music was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Durham said, “This case has received a great deal of light-hearted coverage because of Mr. Music’s unsound investment decision to buy crystal meth with his lottery winnings. The truth of the matter is this: Mr. Music is a predator who has destroyed lives by pushing poison and fear. As law enforcement and prosecutors, our job is to protect our communities by sending predators like Music to federal prison for a very long time.”

Tim Graden, ATF’s Savannah Field Office Resident Agent In Charge, stated, “ATF works to reduce violent crime by targeting and dismantling those criminal groups that pose the greatest threat to public safety. By working with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, ATF helps remove criminal organizations from our streets.”

As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized millions of dollars of meth, $517,485 cash, multiple vehicles, 11 firearms, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Music forfeited the cash, vehicles, firearms and ammunition as part of his sentence. Twenty-one other defendants have been indicted and arrested for participating in this large-scale drug conspiracy. So far, 20 defendants, including Music, have been convicted.

This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, and involved the following agencies: The ATF, the DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Glynn County Georgia Police Department, the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET), the Ware County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies.

Assistant United States Attorneys E. Gregory Gilluly, Jr. and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2547.