Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RICHARD MASON, 33, of New Haven, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation conducted by the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Task Force, the New Haven Police Department and the Connecticut State Police into drug distribution and related violence allegedly being committed by members and associates of the Grape Street Crips in New Haven. During the investigation, MASON was identified over a court-authorized wiretap conducting narcotics transactions with Donald Ogman, who has been identified in court proceedings as the alleged leader of the Grape Street Crips. MASON regularly obtained quantities of crack Ogman and then sold the drug to customers in the Hill section of New Haven.

On April 9, 2012, a grand jury returned an indictment charging MASON and 17 other individuals with narcotics distribution and related offenses stemming from this investigation. Two additional individuals were later charged in the case.

All of the defendants have pleaded guilty. On March 21, 2014, MASON pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).

MASON has been detained since his arrest on April 11, 2012.

Ogman awaits sentencing.

This matter was investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets Task Force, the New Haven, Hamden and Milford Police Departments, the Connecticut State Police and the State of Connecticut Department of Correction. The investigation has been assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Westerly (R.I.) Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and H. Gordon Hall.