Man pleads guilty to trafficking drugs into Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A California man has pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy that saw oxycodone and methamphetamines worth at least $2.5 million travel into Ohio.

Michael J. Moore, 47, of Inglewood, California, is the last of seven defendants to be convicted or plead guilty in the case. Moore pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to launder the proceeds of methamphetamine and oxycodone trafficking and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

According to the attorney’s office, from at least 2015 to 2018, Moore and six women conspired to sell methamphetamine and oxycodone pills, illegally transporting the drugs from Florida and California to Ohio.

Court documents state Moore, for example, fraudulently obtained 10 oxycodone prescriptions, getting more than 1,000 pills, in Florida, then selling the pills for between $20 to $30 each. Moore also admitted to being involved in the shipping and distribution of at least 3,114 grams (6.8 pounds) of methamphetamine, which was 98% pure, the attorney’s office said.

Moore and the other defendants then proceeded to launder the drug money by opening bank accounts at different banks, making money transfers, and hiding the cash while flying with it on commercial flights.

Moore could face between 11 and 16 years in prison, based on his plea agreement.

In addition to Moore, the other defendants in the case are:

• Mykell Reeneesha Uneek Hawes, 33, of Cerritos, California: sentence is pending
• Brandy Monique Casey, 44, of Inglewood, California: sentence is pending
• Marisa A. Wallace, 29, of Columbus, Ohio: sentenced to 72 months in prison
• Angela N. Faber, 41, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio: sentenced to 48 months in prison
• Heather M. Russell, 36, of Columbus, Ohio: sentenced to 48 months in prison
• Janette M. Breckenridge, 33, of Columbus, Ohio: sentenced to 48 months in prison