Former Celebrity Security Guard Found Guilty in Oxycodone Conspiracy

Joseph Emmanuel Mann, 57, of New Carrollton, Md., was found guilty by a federal jury for conspiring to distribute oxycodone.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by United States District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

Mann was convicted on Oct. 14, 2011, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2012.

According to evidence presented in trial, Mann was a former security guard for various celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, and the late Marvin Gaye. From approximately 2003 through 2011, Mann directed a conspiracy to distribute massive quantities of prescription OxyContin 80 mg pills throughout the Washington, D.C., metro area. To obtain these prescriptions, Mann wore disguises, including wigs and hats, and used multiple names and dates of birth. By changing his identity, Mann was able to receive high volumes of prescription narcotics on a regular basis from various local pharmacies.

Although Mann’s co-conspirators testified that they had seen him on numerous occasions with a bicycle or on a moped, they also testified that when Mann entered a pharmacy to fill a prescription for OxyContin, he would act as if he was in a lot of pain, wearing neck braces and carrying crutches to feign injury. Mann was seated in a wheel chair throughout trial, despite evidence that no witness had seen him in a wheel chair prior to his arrest on July 12, 2011.

Trial evidence showed that Mann distributed more than 20,000 OxyContin 80 mg pills during the eight-year conspiracy, many of which were resold by co-conspirators to addicts throughout Northern Virginia. Witnesses at trial testified that Mann illegally distributed these pills near schools, libraries, restaurants, and on the National Mall.

Oxycodone is a commercially available, pharmaceutical narcotic analgesic that can be used to treat moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone is classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II controlled substance. A Schedule II controlled substance is identified as one that has a high likelihood of causing addiction. Oxycodone is the active ingredient in OxyContin and Roxicodone brand pills.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and is part of an ongoing Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation called Operation “Cotton Candy,” which has been focusing on the illegal distribution by numerous doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and patients of pain medication. Prince William County, Fairfax County, Manassas City and the Virginia State Police Departments assisted with the investigation. Special Assistant United States Attorney Lauren I. Dubick and Assistant United States Attorney Gene Rossi are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.