Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Lawrence A. Williams, 36, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life, a fine of $8,000,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was part of a drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing between 50 and 150 kilograms of cocaine from the Chicago, Illinois area to Rochester, New York, between August 2003 and September 2004. Williams was a Chicago-based supplier for the organization. On numerous occasions, he supplied multiple-kilogram quantities of cocaine to Rochester-based drug traffickers in Chicago, which the coconspirators then transported back to the Rochester area for distribution to their customers. In addition, the defendant, on at least three occasions, utilized a 1993 Cadillac equipped with a secret compartment to transport multiple-kilogram quantities of cocaine to Rochester and avoid detection by law enforcement authorities. Williams also possessed firearms, which were provided by a Rochester co-conspirator for his protection, during the conspiracy.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard W. Kollmar, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Sheppard.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. EST, in Rochester, N.Y., before Judge Larimer.