Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Defendant Anthony Bryant, 38, of Nashville, was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a poly-drug distribution conspiracy that took place in 2020, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. Co-defendant Carlos Wall, 48, of Franklin, Tennessee, previously was sentenced to twenty years’ imprisonment, and co-defendant Arthur Kinnard, 38, of Franklin, Tennessee, previously was sentenced to 83 months in federal prison. Co-defendant Samantha Brady, 27, of Nashville, Tennessee, has entered a guilty plea, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23, 2023.

Bryant and his co-defendants were charged with multiple crimes by information in 2021. On October 5, 2022, Bryant pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute a kilogram or more of heroin; 400 grams or more of fentanyl; 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; a quantity of cocaine; and a quantity of cocaine base; multiple counts of Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute multiple kinds of drugs; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

The charges stem from a wiretap investigation into Wall and his co-defendants, in which they were intercepted discussing the distribution of multiple kinds of drugs, including fentanyl. At the sentencing for Bryant yesterday, when discussing the danger of fentanyl, United States District Judge Eli Richardson said, “fentanyl has [left] corpses all over this city.”

"Drug trafficking, and specifically fentanyl trafficking, is having a devastating impact on communities throughout Middle Tennessee. Too many people have lost loved ones to this poison. This prosecution and the lengthy prison sentences handed down in this case reaffirm our commitment to fighting back and to holding drug traffickers accountable," said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

This case 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda J. Klopf for the Middle District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.

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