D.C. Area Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Drug Distribution and Money Laundering Conspiracies

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Anthony Torrell Tatum, age 37, of Arlington, Virginia, today to 27 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin, possession of a gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and money laundering conspiracy. Judge Chasanow previously entered an order requiring Tatum to pay a $108 million money judgment, and a forfeiture order for personal property seized during the investigation, including $328,700 in assorted jewelry, over $1 million in cash or deposited in bank accounts, and a luxury vehicle.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Assistant Director in Charge Andrew G. McCabe of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief of Police Robert D. MacLean of the U.S. Park Police; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge David M. McGinnis of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Kelly of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, from at least January 2011 through his arrest on September 6, 2013, Tatum conspired with Ishmael Ford-Bey and others to distribute cocaine and heroin in Prince George’s County, Washington, D.C. and Oxon Hill, Maryland.

In late 2010, law enforcement received information that Tatum was the source of supply of cocaine to a cooperating source and that Ford-Bey was providing Tatum and others with kilogram quantities of cocaine. Between April 2011 and January 2012, U.S. Park Police conducted undercover purchases of a total of 308 grams of crack cocaine from co-conspirator Terrin Anderson.  Anderson drove a vehicle registered to Ford-Bey to make some of the deliveries.

In May 2013, Tatum rented a storage unit in Fort Washington, Maryland using an alias. A search warrant was executed at the storage unit in August 2013.  Law enforcement seized a kilogram of cocaine wrapped in duct tape, 258 grams of cocaine contained in plastic baggies, 195 grams of heroin and an assault rifle with two magazines.

On September 6, 2013, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at an apartment on Campbell Avenue in Arlington, Virginia and seized $7,823 in cash, a fake driver’s license bearing Tatum’s picture, expensive jewelry and clothing.  Tatum was present at the location and arrested.

Also that day, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at a storage unit in Temple Hills, Maryland and seized digital scales, heroin, a handgun and ammunition.

On October 1, 2013, a search warrant was executed at the apartment of a co-conspirator that Tatum and Ford-Bey had been identified as visiting.  Agents located a safe which contained $823,640 in cash, several expensive watches, and jewelry. In addition, agents recovered scales, three heat sealers, a coffee grinder, a currency counter, and other drug paraphernalia, as well as approximately 350 grams of cocaine.  Latent fingerprints recovered from the heat sealers were identified as belonging to Tatum and Ford-Bey.

In an effort to disguise and hide their drug proceeds, Tatum and others created numerous business entities, including 1001 Solutions, Beauty International Supply, Inc. and Going Green Towing, which had little, if any, legitimate business. They set up bank accounts in the names of each business and deposited their drug proceeds into those business accounts.  For example, during four months in 2012, Tatum made over $93,000 in cash deposits and $45,000 in money order deposits into one business bank account. In another bank account, between November 2012 and February 2013, Tatum made over $90,100 in cash deposits or payments.

In March 2011, Tatum used drug proceeds to purchase a cashier’s check for $17,000 payable to a BMW dealership to buy a vehicle.  In October 2012, again using drug proceeds, Tatum bought a 2013 Volvo car; and in 2011, he bought a Land Rover for $60,013.  Tatum also used drug proceeds to buy expensive jewelry.

Four defendants, including Tatum, were convicted federally for their participation in the conspiracy.  Co-conspirators Ishmael Ford-Bey, age 40, of Mitchellville, Maryland; Terrin Tamal Anderson, age 29, of Waldorf, Maryland; and David Allen Jones, age 40, of District Heights, Maryland; previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 33 years in prison, 12 years in prison and 45 months in prison, respectively. Judge Chasanow also entered an order requiring Ford-Bey to pay a $108 million money judgment, and a forfeiture order for personal property, including luxury vehicles, jewelry and cash.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, FBI, Prince George’s County Police Department, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS-CI, ATF and Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah A. Johnston and Thomas P. Windom, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.