Phoenix Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that WAYNE E. MARSHALL, 53, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, to a felony charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, methamphetamine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who handled the case, stated that the charges stemmed from a joint federal and state investigation, which revealed that, between June 24, 2008, and July 14, 2008, the defendant entered an agreement to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine to a Rochester-based drug trafficker. The drug transaction was to take place in Phoenix, Arizona, where the defendant resides.

The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher Piehota; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Dale M. Kasprzyk; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Frank Christiano; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Joseph D’Amico.

To date, 11 other co-conspirators have been convicted for various drug trafficking and firearms offenses as a result of this investigation.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. EST, in Rochester, N.Y., in front of Judge Siragusa.