Harvey Man Pleads Guilty in Cocaine Conspiracy Case

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on July 15, 2010, DEMPSEY IVERY, age 44, of Harvey, Illinois, pled guilty in United States District Court in East St. Louis, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and admitted a forfeiture allegation contained in the superseding indictment.

At his change of plea hearing, IVERY admitted to knowingly participating in a conspiracy which involved the transportation of cocaine, primarily from the Chicago area to St. Clair County, Illinois, and the distribution of cocaine in the Southern District of Illinois. The conspiracy also involved the transportation of money, primarily from the Southern District of Illinois to the Chicago area.

Sentencing is currently set for November 10, 2010, at which time IVERY faces a sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $4 million, and a term of at least five years of supervised release, and faces the forfeiture of cash and other property. IVERY has been ordered detained and remains in custody pending sentencing.

Evidence for this conviction was gathered in an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI. The investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), an initiative designed to provide a coordinated effort of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to target and dismantle national and international drug trafficking organizations. The caseis being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Simonson.