Holyoke Woman Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

BOSTON, MA—A Holyoke woman was convicted late yesterday in federal court of Conspiracy and Distribution of Cocaine Base.

Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks, Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division; Chief Anthony R. Scott of the Holyoke Police Department; Commissioner William J. Fitchet of the Springfield Police Department; Colonel Mark Delaney, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Michael Ashe, Sheriff of Hampden County, announced today that MARIA MARQUEZ, age 34, of Holyoke, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor to Conspiracy and two counts of Possession with intent to Distribute and Distribution of Cocaine Base.

At the plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that on November 15, 2007 and November 19, 2007, Marquez sold a total of 36 grams of crack cocaine with the assistance of her co-defendants, Sarah Supernaw, Isaac Torres, John Harley and Smileen Matos.

Judge Ponsor scheduled sentencing for October 9, 2009. On each count, MARQUEZ faces up to 40 years imprisonment, to be followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release and up to a $2 million fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, a Safe Street/HIDTA Initiative. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Loucks' Springfield Branch Unit.