Man sentenced for arranging meth transactions from inside prison

FLORIDA – An Athens, Georgia man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in reportedly arranging methamphetamine transactions from within federal prison

According to Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Brian Stanton, 38, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison following his trial conviction on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine

“Cooperative and concerted efforts like Operation Arrowhead enable our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to identify and investigate those distributing addictive and deadly controlled substances in both our urban and rural communities,” said Coody.

“We remain vigilant to support their investigative efforts and will aggressively prosecute those engaged in drug trafficking throughout North Florida.”

Stanton was already serving federal sentences for possession of a firearm and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine when he was arrested on the new charge.

While incarcerated at a federal prison in Atlanta, Stanton used a contraband cellular telephone to arrange for the distribution of at least 24 pounds of methamphetamine through various sources of supply outside the prison between June 2019 and November 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Stanton’s new sentence will run consecutive, meaning Stanton will not begin serving the 300 months, until after his current period of incarceration is complete. Upon release, Stanton will be on supervised release for ten years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In addition to Stanton, the operation resulted in the conviction of 23 other individuals, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They include:

• Erica Keeler, 22, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to time served
• Kristin Walker , 32 of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to time served
• Audrey Newmeyer, 56, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 18 months in federal prison
• Jeffrey Thomley, Jr., 32, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 18 months in federal prison
• Russell Walker, Jr., 34, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 24 months in federal prison
• Carlton Hull, 50, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 30 months in federal prison
• Kammra Witt, 53, of Silver Springs, Florida; Sentenced to 36 months in federal prison
• Heather Vann, 40, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 48 months in federal prison
• Connie Sullivan, 52, of Trenton, Florida; Sentenced to 48 months in federal prison
• Roger Slaughter, 36, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 60 months in federal prison
• Kathryn Comolli, 41, of Edgewater, Florida; Sentenced to 72 months in federal prison
• Mark Johns, 50, of Lake City, Florida; Sentenced to 72 months in federal prison
• James Watkins, 37, of Fort White, Florida; Sentenced to 108 months in federal prison
• Abel Guerra, 60, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 114 months in federal prison
• Cedrick Gaddy, 44, of Perry, Florida; Sentenced to 120 months in federal prison
• Paul Pridgeon, 73, of Mayo, Florida; Sentenced to 144 months in federal prison
• Robert Murphy, 53 of Tallahassee, Florida; Sentencing set for June 15, 2022
• Kevin Lambert, 48, of Brooksville, Florida; Sentencing set for June 16, 2022
• Brian Morgan, 43 of Brooksville, Florida; Sentencing set for July 13, 2022
• Fawn Hurley, 37, of Mayo, Florida;   Sentencing set for July 14, 2022
• Beyah Besha,44, of Perry, Florida; Sentencing set for July 27, 2022
• Robert Segrest , 40, of Perry, Florida; Sentencing set for August 4, 2022
• Stephen Gamble, 49, of Perry, Florida; Sentencing set for August 22, 2022

The conviction was the result of a collaborative investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Perry Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Operation Arrowhead was a joint investigation targeting methamphetamine traffickers in several rural North Florida counties.

Operation Arrowhead was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gary Milligan, Eric Mountin, James A. McCain, Kaitlin Weiss, and Christopher Elsey.

The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.