Beloit Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Heroin Trafficking

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Maurice Lockhart, 37, of Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to six years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Beloit during 2010.

Lockhart was found guilty of the conspiracy charge by a jury in Madison after a three-day trial in January. At trial, witnesses testified that during the summer of 2010, Maurice Vaughn supplied 50-80 bags of heroin each day to Maurice Lockhart and Carlos Ford, who then distributed them in the Beloit area. Customers contacted Vaughn to arrange the heroin deals, and then Vaughn would arrange for Ford or Lockhart to deliver the heroin to those customers.

Ford pleaded guilty to a federal heroin charge in early 2011 and was sentenced in August 2011 to five years in prison. Maurice Vaughn was also found guilty at trial and was sentenced on March 29, 2011 to 20 years in federal prison for his role as the leader of the conspiracy. The investigation began when Beloit Police became concerned in the summer of 2010 that there had been a number of heroin overdoses.

The charges against Lockhart were the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, which consists of the Beloit Police Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.

Beloit Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Heroin Trafficking

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Maurice D. Vaughn, 38, of Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 20 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Beloit during 2010. The investigation began when Beloit Police became concerned in the summer of 2010 that there had been a number of heroin overdoses.

Vaughn was found guilty of the conspiracy charge by a jury after a three-day trial in federal court in Madison in January 2012. At trial, witnesses testified that during the summer of 2010, Vaughn supplied 50 to 80 bags of heroin each day to Maurice Lockhart and Carlos Ford, who then distributed them in the Beloit area. Customers contacted Vaughn to arrange the heroin deals, and then Vaughn would arrange for Ford or Lockhart to deliver the heroin to those customers.

Ford pleaded guilty to a federal heroin charge in early 2011 and was sentenced in August 2011 to five years in federal prison. Lockhart, who was also found guilty following the January trial, will be sentenced on April 9, 2012. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison.

Judge Conley told Vaughn that a significant sentence was necessary, since a previous nearly 10-year federal sentence for drug trafficking by Vaughn had served no deterrent effect. Once out of prison, he returned to dealing in drugs despite other choices he could have made.

The charges against Vaughn, Lockhart, and Ford were the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, which consists of the Beloit Police Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.

Two Beloit Men Convicted in Federal Court of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Maurice D. Vaughn, 38, and Maurice C. Lockhart, 37, both of Beloit, Wis., were convicted yesterday of conspiracy to distribute heroin, following a three-day jury trial before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Conley in Madison.

At trial, witnesses testified that during the summer of 2010, Vaughn supplied 50 to 80 bags of heroin each day to Maurice Lockhart and Carlos Ford, who then distributed it in the Beloit area. Customers contacted Vaughn to arrange the heroin deals, then Vaughn would arrange for Ford or Lockhart to deliver the heroin to those customers.

Ford pleaded guilty to a federal heroin charge in early 2011 and was sentenced in August 2011 to five years in prison. The investigation began when Beloit Police became concerned in the summer of 2010 that there had been a number of heroin overdoses.

Chief Judge Conley scheduled sentencing for Maurice Vaughn on March 29, 2012 and Maurice Lockhart on April 9, 2012. Vaughn faces a minimum mandatory term of 10 years in prison, to a maximum of life, because of a prior felony drug conviction, and up to a $4 million fine. Lockhart faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison, to a maximum of 40 years in prison, and up to a $2 million fine.

The charges against Vaughn and Lockhart were the result of an investigation conducted by the Rock County Safe Streets Task Force, which consists of the Beloit Police Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.

Rockford Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of Bank in Orangeville

ROCKFORD, IL—PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; ROBERT D. GRANT, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; RICHARD MEYERS, Winnebago County Sheriff; and DAVID SNYDERS, Stephenson County Sheriff, today made the following announcement:

Yesterday, in federal court, United States District Judge Frederick J. Kapala sentenced MONARE MOORE, 24, of Rockford, to 20 years and five months in federal prison for the armed robbery of the Community Bank in Orangeville and for carrying a firearm during that robbery.

Moore was arrested on June 25, 2010, after the robbery of the Community Bank in Orangeville, and charged with that crime. He has been in federal custody since that date. On July 27, 2010, Moore and two others were indicted for the armed robbery of the Community Bank. On January 21, 2011, Moore pleaded guilty to both robberies. In pleading guilty, Moore admitted that he carried firearms during the robbery of the Community Bank on June 25, 2010 and that he committed the armed robbery of the Holcomb State Bank on October 16, 2009. Moore was sentenced to 245 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay $109,929 in restitution to the Holcomb State Bank. Moore was not ordered to pay restitution to the Community Bank in Orangeville because all of the stolen proceeds were recovered at the time of Moore’s arrest on June 25, 2010.

Two other Rockford men were also charged in the indictment:

JOSEPH ANDERSON, 27, was charged with the October 16, 2009 armed robbery of the Holcomb State Bank, as well as the June 25, 2010, armed robbery of the Community Bank in Orangeville. Anderson, who pled guilty to the charges on January 5, 2011, was sentenced on April 4, 2011 to 23 years and eight months in federal prison, and ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison and to pay $109,929 in restitution to Holcomb State Bank.

DAMARCEO PASCHOL, 24, pled guilty on December 6, 2010 to participating in the armed robbery of the Community Bank in Orangeville and to carrying a firearm during that robbery. On March 7, 2011, Paschol was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison, and ordered to serve a term of five years of supervised release following his release from prison and to pay a fine in the amount of $1,000.

Anderson, Paschol, and Moore have all been in federal custody since their arrests on June 25, 2010. None of the three defendants will be eligible for parole.

The case was investigated by the Rockford Office of the FBI, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, and the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Department, with the assistance of the Rock County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted in federal court by Assistant United States Attorney JOSEPH C. PEDERSEN.