Seven Men from Waterloo Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Crack Cocaine

Sentences Ranged from Five Years to Over Fifteen Years in Prison

Seven men, all from Waterloo, Iowa, were sentenced over the last fifteen months in federal court in Cedar Rapids based on their involvement in a crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy.  Evidence from various hearings showed the investigation, which was a cooperative effort of numerous law enforcement agencies, included use of wiretaps and confidential sources.

Gregory Porter Washington, age 40, was sentenced on June 13, 2018, to 180 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of ten years.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.  Washington had previously been convicted of possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to deliver in state court.

Ronald Corey, age 62, was sentenced on August 13, 2018, to 57 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of five years.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and distribution of crack cocaine.

Melvin Maurice Grubbs, age 37, was sentenced on October 11, 2018, to 179 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of three years.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to two counts relating to the use of a phone to facilitate drug trafficking.  Grubbs had previously been convicted possession of marijuana with intent to deliver on two occasions in state court.

Michel Earl Snow, age 42, was sentenced on November 20, 2018, to 197 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of eight years.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.  Snow had  previously been convicted of delivery of cocaine, possession of crack cocaine with intent to deliver, and delivery of cocaine base.

Deon Marcell Goldsmith, age 38, was sentenced on December 17, 2018, to 46 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of one year.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to two counts relating to the use of a phone to facilitate drug trafficking.

Keylynn Landon Goldsmith, age 34, was sentenced on January 3, 2019, to 60 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of one year.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to two counts relating to the use of a phone to facilitate drug trafficking.  Goldsmith had previously been convicted of ongoing criminal conduct in state court.

Corey Demarcus Jones, age 39, was sentenced on September 24, 2019, to 71 months’ imprisonment and supervised release of six years.  The sentence came after he pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.  Jones had previously been convicted of possession of cocaine base with intent to deliver and a drug tax stamp violation in state court.

All seven defendants were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Waterloo Police Department, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Falls Police Department, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa City Police Department, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol.