Shreveport Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Cocaine

SHREVEPORT, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that David Lamone Moten, 34, of Shreveport, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 105 months in prison and four years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He pleaded guilty January 31, 2013.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, in December 2012, Moten conspired with Michael Williams, Robin Lynette Gaddis, and others to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of powder cocaine. In 2011 and 2012, Williams caused cocaine to be transported from Dallas to his hometown of Shreveport for redistribution by others, including Moten. Specifically, on December 1, 2012, Moten received a shipment of powder cocaine from Williams and distributed the cocaine in the Shreveport area.

Williams pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges on January 31, 2013, and was sentenced on May 30, 2013, to 151 months in federal prison. Gaddis pleaded guilty to conspiracy January 22, 2013, and was sentenced June 10, 2013, to 24 months in federal prison.

Williams, Gaddis, and Moten were prosecuted as part of OCDETF Operation Dry Cedar, which targeted cocaine distributors in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove neighborhood. The FBI’s Northwest Louisiana Violent Crimes Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.

Members of the Task Force include the FBI, Shreveport Police Department, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bossier City Police Department, Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, Desoto Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police. The investigation spanned two states, multiple jurisdictions, and involved the FBI offices in both Shreveport and Dallas. To date, the investigation has produced eight federal indictments and 14 state arrests.

The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.