New Jersey Man Sentenced for OxyContin Distribution Conspiracy
| U.S. Attorney's Office March 04, 2009 |
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on March 3, 2009, George Meladze, 26, of Springfield, New Jersey, was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute OxyContin. The sentence was imposed by Chief Judge William K. Sessions III.
Court records showed that George Meladze was arrested on May 31, 2007 in New Jersey. That arrest followed the January 13, 2007 stop at the Burlington airport of George’s brother, Eric Meladze, in possession of over $37,000 in U.S. currency, and the May 4, 2007 arrest of Eric Meladze and of Joseph Nelson Farrell, of Burlington. At the time of their arrest, Eric Meladze and Farrell had over $16,000 in U.S. currency and several hundred OxyContin pills. The federal grand jury indicted both Meladze brothers and Farrell on OxyContin trafficking charges. Farrell pleaded guilty on October 26, 2007; Eric Meladze pleaded guilty on September 5, 2008; and George Meladze pleaded guilty on October 10, 2008. Eric Meladze was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment on December 1, 2008. Farrell has not been sentenced.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Gelber. George Meladze was represented by Nancy Waples, Esq.