Perry Man Sentenced to 20 Years
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 22, 2010 |
MACON—G.F. Peterman, III, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced the sentencing in Federal District Court in Macon of WENDELL DOUGLAS WALKER, 39, of Perry, Georgia, on February 19, 2010. WALKER had previously 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 before 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 in the federal district court.
Chief Judge Royal sentenced Walker to 20 years in federal prison on the possession with intent to distribute cocaine base count and to serve 10 years in federal prison for endeavoring to influence a juror. The sentences the will run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Walker had admitted at the time of his plea to selling a confidential informant more than 50 grams of crack cocaine in November 2007 and 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 WALKER, he 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.
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 Acting U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman, III or Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McCullers through Sue McKinney at 478-621-2602.