Perry Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Illegal Drugs, Attempting to Influence a Juror

G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces the conviction in the United States District Court in Macon of WENDELL DOUGLAS WALKER age 39 of Perry, Georgia. Walker entered a plea of guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and one count of Endeavoring to Influence a Juror on December 3, 2009, before the Honorable C. Ashley Royal, Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia. The charge of Endeavoring to Influence a Juror resulted from Walker’s contact with and efforts to corruptly influence a trial juror selected in May, 2009, to try the crack cocaine charge against him.

Walker admitted to selling a confidential informant more than 50 grams of crack cocaine in November, 2007. He further admitted that he had a relative contact the trial juror, who was asked to call a cellular telephone number because someone wanted to speak with her. When the juror called that number, Walker answered, identified himself and asked to meet with the juror, who then hung up on him. Walker admitted that he made the contact in an effort to wrongfully and corruptly influence the juror in exercising her duties as a juror at his trial.

Walker faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison on the Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base count and up to an additional 10 years in prison for Endeavoring to Influence a Juror.

Acting United States Attorney Peterman said that trafficking illegal drugs is a crime whose prosecution is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office, adding that, “with regard to the jury influencing charge, attempts to corrupt the jury trial process, which is the very heart of this country’s criminal justice system, will always be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible by this office.”

The crack cocaine case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Perry Police Department. The case of juror influencing was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Macon. Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. McCullers prosecuted the case for the government. For additional information contact Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, at 478-621-2602.

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Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force Announces Arrest

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, announces on behalf of the Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force, the following arrest:

Rocky Davis Jr., age 21, an EMT and fireman for Walker County, Georgia, was arrested on Friday, October 30, 2009 on state charges related to attempting to solicit a minor child for sex. Davis traveled to Catoosa County, Georgia after having engaged undercover officers/agents of the FBI’s Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force in a series of chats on the Internet.

Davis is currently incarcerated at the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department jail.

he Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force consists of federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and officers from the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Police Department, Dade County Sheriff’s Office, Rossville Police Department, and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The public is reminded that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Child Predator Arrested in Georgia

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, announces, on behalf of the Conasauga Safe Streets Task Force, the following arrest at Walker County, Georgia:

On Thursday, June 4, 2009, Robert Lee Ervin, age 39, of Sweetwater, Tennessee, was arrested by FBI Agents and Task Force Officers on state charges of child pornography and criminal attempt-child exploitation related to his attempt to have sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl. Ervin had been engaged in a series of Internet chats with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Ervin traveled to Walker County, Georgia from Tennessee to meet with this “minor child” and was subsequently arrested.

Ervin is currently being detained at the Walker County, Georgia Detention Facility.

The Conasauga Safe Streets Task Force consists of federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and officers from the Whitfield Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Police Department, and Calhoun Police Department.

The public is reminded that all persons are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Four Bank Robbers Sentenced to Total of 539 Months in Prison‏

Edmund A. Booth, Jr., United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Christopher Michael Walker and Georgeann Marie Nixon, both residents of Waynesboro, Georgia, were sentenced last week in U.S. District Court by U. S. District Judge J. Randal Hall for their roles in the June 26, 2008 armed robbery of the Regions Bank branch in Louisville, Georgia and the June 30, 2008 armed robbery of the Quick Cash payday loan store in North Augusta, South Carolina.. Walker was sentenced to 140 months and Nixon was sentenced to 60 months. Judge Hall recently sentenced Leonardo Davinci Hardwick of Waynesboro, Georgia to 219 months imprisonment for his role in those armed robberies, as well as for his participation in the July 7, 2008 armed bank robbery of the Southern Bank branch in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Another Waynesboro resident, Kellington Toan Chandler, had been previously sentenced by Judge Hall to 120 months imprisonment for his role in the Southern Bank robbery. Booth stated that the evidence at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings for these defendants established that Nixon drove Hardwick and Walker to the Regions Bank branch in Louisville, Georgia on June 26, 2008 in an automobile provided by Walker, where Hardwick entered the bank wearing a mask provided by Walker, pointed a firearm at a teller, and stole $3,100. The evidence also showed that Nixon drove Hardwick and Walker to the Quick Cash payday loan store located at 4701 Jefferson Davis Highway, North Augusta, South Carolina on June 30, 2008 in an automobile provided by Walker, where Hardwick entered the store wearing a mask provided by Walker, pointed a firearm at two employees, and stole $1,800. The evidence also established that Hardwick accompanied Chandler to the Southern Bank branch in Waynesboro, Georgia on July 7, 2008 and provided him with the firearm that Chandler used to steal $16,000 from a teller. While Chandler fled the bank, he fired the revolver twice but did not strike anyone.

Booth also noted that, in addition to imprisonment, these defendants will be required to pay restitution as follows: Hardwick, $10,792; Chandler, $5,887; Nixon, $4,905; and Walker, $3,205. After their release from prison, Hardwick, Chandler, and Walker will serve five years of supervised release and Nixon will serve three years of supervised release.

Booth praised the joint efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Waynesboro Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the efforts of Assistant United States Attorney David M. Stewart who represented the government in this prosecution.

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Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced in Absentia

Maxwell Wood, United States Attorney, for the Middle District of Georgia, announced that Anthony Sean Walker, age 34, of Omega, Georgia, was sentenced on December 4, 2008, to thirty (30) years in Federal prison without parole.

As part of a plea agreement, Walker acknowledged that he routinely obtained fifty (50) to seventy (70) kilograms of cocaine monthly which he distributed to cocaine dealers in the Tift County area. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers intercepted a tractor trailer truck which was used by Walker to transport drug proceeds. A search of the truck uncovered $800,000.00 in drug money which was being shipped to California as payment for cocaine. A search of Walker’s residence uncovered $13,159.00 in drug proceeds.

Following entry of Walker’s guilty plea, he was released on bond pending sentencing. Walker absconded and has remained a fugitive. The Government filed a motion to sentence Walker in absentia. The Court granted the motion. Consequently, a hearing was convened on December 04, 2008, which led to the thirty (30) year sentence.

The investigation was conducted by agents from Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and South Georgia Drug Task Force. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Charles Calhoun.

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