Previously Convicted Drug Trafficker Facing Federal Indictment for a Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy

 Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Lamar Prilliman, a/k/a “Block”, age 48, of Baltimore, Maryland, on federal charges related to a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.  The indictment was returned on May 27, 2021. 

The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to the two-count indictment, from December 2020 to January 12, 2021, Prilliman conspired with others to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.  The indictment alleges that on January 12, 2021, Prilliman possessed with the intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

As detailed in the indictment, Prilliman previously was convicted in February 2008 on the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute and posses with the intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base (“crack”) in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.  Prilliman was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.  Prilliman later received sentencing reductions, and he was released from federal custody in March 2019.

If convicted, Prilliman faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison each for the fentanyl distribution conspiracy and for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  An initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore has not yet been scheduled.  Prilliman is currently detained on state charges.

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.  This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks.  These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime.  The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore County Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the IRS-CI, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their assistance.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James T. Wallner, Matthew DellaBetta, and Daniel A. Loveland, Jr., who are prosecuting the federal case.