Manager of JD’s Circle In Bar Sentenced in Federal Drug Distribution Conspiracy

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Brett Feder, 36, was sentenced in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska on December 16, 2020 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and THC (“tetrahydrocannabinol”); money laundering; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Feder to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.  After his release from prison, Feder will serve a 5-year term of supervised release. 

A series of controlled buys of cocaine, in addition to the wiretaps, walled-off traffic stops, and premises searches corroborated Feder’s involvement with others in the distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and tetrahydrocannabinol (‘THC’) cartridges used in vaping devices.  Feder managed and operated JD’s Circle In, a bar located in south Omaha, which was a front for illegal drug trafficking and illegal sports betting operations. Additionally, close to $50,000 in drug proceeds and 7 firearms were ordered forfeited to the United States.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

“For several years, Mr. Feder was involved in drug and money laundering violations while managing and operating a bar located in Omaha, Nebraska that he used as a front,” said David Talcott, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation division in the St. Louis Field Office. “However, today’s sentencing shows that with both law enforcement and financial investigation expertise like in Operation Steak Your Bets, individuals that illegally conduct drug trafficking operations and bookmaking operations face lengthy prison sentences.”

The case was primarily investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Omaha Field Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Omaha Police Department.