Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

On January 13, 2016, Ayiko L. Paulette, 40, of Cahokia, Illinois, was sentenced in federal court in East St. Louis after having previously pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises, being a Felon in Possession of Firearms, Distribution of Cocaine, Interstate Travel In Support of Racketeering, and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. Paulette was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison, to be followed by10 years of supervised release. In addition, Paulette was ordered to pay an $8,000 fine and an $800 special assessment.

The investigation of this case showed that Paulette was a leader of the Waverly Crips street gang in East St. Louis, and that Paulette was involved in importing and selling cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin in the East St. Louis area from 2007 until he was arrested in 2014. The investigation showed that Paulette maintained a drug house in East St. Louis, and that in March 2013, a shootout occurred at the house between rival gang members. After the shootout, police recovered several firearms from the house, including multiple assault rifles. The investigation also showed that even after he was arrested in this case, Paulette attempted to obstruct justice from his jail cell by directing others to attempt to intimidate a potential witness in the case.

Evidence in support of this prosecution was obtained in an investigation which was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. Agencies participating in this case include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the Illinois State Police, and the East St. Louis Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce.

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