Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri
A. Lydon announced today that after an eight-day trial, a federal jury
convicted Glenn Pernell, 41, his sister Whitney Pernell, 29, and their cousin
Fatima Ford, 33, all of Marion County, and Santerrio Smith, 31, and Terrence
Dunlap, 25, of Columbia, on drug trafficking charges. These five defendants were charged along with
11 others in a 53-count Superseding Indictment alleging drug conspiracy and
related charges.
“This case shows once again that the unfettered use of
contraband cell phones enables inmates to continue committing crimes that harm
the public even while they are behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon. “In partnership with the South Carolina
Department of Corrections, we will continue to fight the public safety threat
caused by contraband cell phones in our prisons. We applaud the FBI’s Columbia Violent Gang
Task Force and the trial team for their tireless work in dismantling this drug
trafficking ring, which was responsible for pouring cocaine, crack cocaine, and
heroin into our neighborhoods.”
According to the evidence, agents of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation’s Columbia Violent Gang Task Force (CVGTF) began investigating
Smith in 2016 for drug trafficking.
Wiretaps on Smith’s phones revealed a network of individuals with whom
Smith was heavily involved, including Terrence Dunlap, Smith’s “right-hand
man,” who stored cocaine and heroin for Smith and who cooked cocaine into crack
cocaine for sale on the streets of Richland County. Agents discovered that one of Smith’s primary
drug suppliers was Glenn Pernell, an inmate at Lieber Correctional Institution
in Ridgeville. Pernell used contraband
cell phones to communicate with Smith and arrange for deliveries of cocaine and
heroin to Smith. Pernell relied on
family members and close friends, including his sister Whitney Pernell and his
cousin Fatima Ford, to store drugs and money for his drug trafficking
organization.
Three other women testified that, while he was incarcerated,
Glenn Pernell contacted them through Facebook.
After he made a personal connection with the women, Pernell sent each of
them gifts and money to help pay their bills.
Eventually, Pernell began asking for favors in return; the women began
making drug and money runs for Pernell until July 3, 2017, when one of the
women was stopped by law enforcement while on her way to deliver a large amount
of cocaine to Smith.
After deliberating for nearly a day, the jury returned
guilty verdicts on all charges:
Glenn Pernell was convicted of conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin. He was attributed 5 kilograms or more of
cocaine and 1 kilogram or more of heroin.
He was also convicted of four counts of use of a communication facility
in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Whitney Pernell was convicted of conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin. She was attributed 5 kilograms or more of
cocaine and 1 kilogram or more of heroin.
She was also convicted of one count of use of a communication facility
in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Fatima Ford was convicted of conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin. She was attributed 5 kilograms or more of
cocaine and 1 kilogram or more of heroin.
Santerrio Smith was convicted of conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin. He was attributed 5 kilograms or more of
cocaine, 280 grams or more of cocaine base, and 100 grams or more of heroin. He was also convicted of two counts of use of
a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one
count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin.
Terrence Dunlap was convicted of conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin. He was attributed 5 kilograms or more of
cocaine and 100 grams or more of heroin.
He was also convicted of one count of use of a communications facility
in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession with intent
to distribute cocaine base.
As a result of the convictions, each of the defendants faces
a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life in federal prison. United States District Judge Mary Geiger
Lewis of Columbia presided over the trial and will impose a sentence on each of
the defendants after receiving and reviewing pre-sentence reports prepared by
the United States Probation Office.
“Dismantling drug trafficking organizations is a continuing
priority for the FBI,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jody Norris. “These verdicts are the results of the
commitment and perseverance of our Agents and partners within the Violent Crime
Task Force, to include the dedicated staff of the United States Attorney’s
Office. Together, we will continue to work
to make South Carolina a safer and better place to live.”
“This is another
example of why we need to allow state prisons to jam cell phone signals,” said
South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling. “Inmates are physically locked away behind
bars, but with a contraband cell phone, they are virtually out amongst us. They
are able to continue their criminal activity, and they keep wrecking lives in
the process.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s CVGTF, which is
comprised of law enforcement officers from the FBI, South Carolina Law
Enforcement Division (SLED), Columbia Police Department, Richland County
Sheriff’s Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Lexington Police
Department, Sumter Police Department, and the South Carolina National Guard,
with assistance from the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), the
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Marion County Sheriff’s
Department. The case was prosecuted by
Assistant United States Attorneys Jane B. Taylor, Benjamin N. Garner, and
Christopher D. Taylor of the Columbia office.
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