Jury Convicts Macoupin County Man of Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute

SPRINGFIELD, IL—Sentencing is scheduled in June 2014 for a Mt. Olive, Illinois man after a jury convicted him of possession of heroin with intent to distribute. The jury deliberated for approximately 30 minutes on February 20, 2014, before finding David L. Simpson, 51, guilty.

During the trial, which began on Monday, February 18, and in pre-trial hearings, the government presented evidence that established that Simpson traveled to St. Louis to pick up heroin three to four times a day from at least April to mid-June 2013, totaling more than 100 grams. Evidence further established that Simpson brought the heroin to Mt. Olive and distributed the heroin to customers in Litchfield, Mt. Olive, Staunton, and Wilsonville, Illinois.

At sentencing, scheduled on June 9, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., Simpson faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison because the government has filed notice that Simpson has a prior felony drug conviction from 2011 in Will County, Illinois. Simpson has remained in law enforcement custody since his arrest in June 2013.

Law enforcement agencies participating in this investigation include the DEA, Springfield Division; the Mt. Olive Police Department; and task force officers assigned to DEA by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the FBI. The Litchfield Police Department and the Illinois State Police also provided assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass is prosecuting the case in the Central District of Illinois, Springfield Division.