Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BOSTON – A Cape Cod man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with running a large-scale marijuana operation and then laundering the proceeds.  

 

David Landry, 29, of Mashpee, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release.  Landry is currently serving a four-year state sentence for heroin distribution.  The federal sentence will run concurrently with the remainder of his state sentence.  In December 2015, Landry, his mother, Diane Johnson, Justin Groom and Evan Lopes, were indicted with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, money laundering, possession with intent to distribute methylone (also known as “molly”), being a felon in possession of a firearm and money laundering conspiracy. 

 

From May 2014 to January 2015, Landry and Groom conspired to manufacture and distribute marijuana, and possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute it.  Landry, who was arrested and has been in state custody since Sept. 12, 2014, continued participating in the criminal offense while in jail on the state charges.  On Jan. 6, 2015, law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant at a residence on Cheryl Lane in Pocasset, Mass., and seized numerous marijuana plants and extensive growing equipment.  Groom is alleged to have used the proceeds of the illegal activities to pay the rent on the Cheryl Lane house. 

 

It is alleged that Lopes, aided by Landry, possessed with intent to distribute methylone, a Schedule I controlled substance similar to MDMA.  On Jan. 15, 2015, law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant at a residence on Point Pleasant Circle in East Wareham, Mass., and seized two kilograms of methylone and several letters Landry sent to Lopes while Landry was in jail. 

 

Landry, a convicted felon, was in constructive possession of a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol on Jan. 21, 2015, when law enforcement officers recovered the pistol during a search of a residence on Acapesket Road in Falmouth, Mass.  Landry pleaded guilty to constructively possessing the gun and directing an associate to its whereabouts.  Finally, from 2010 to 2015, it is alleged that Landry and his mother, Diane Johnson, conspired to launder drug proceeds in order to disguise the nature of the funds and promote continued drug trafficking. 

 

During the sentencing hearing, the government argued that Landry is a dangerous offender whose criminal conduct lasted from at least 2010 to 2015, and continued while he was in state custody.  Moreover, it involved significant, wholesale quantities of heroin, methylone, and marijuana.  The marijuana grow operation involved sophisticated, expensive equipment for which Landry paid over $40,000, and from which Landry expected to produce substantial illegal revenue for years.  The money laundering involved multiple bank accounts and hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The loaded firearm, hidden at an associate’s residence, apparently reflected Landry’s intention to continue to use threats and violence in furtherance of his drug trafficking and money laundering activity.

 

On March 2, 2017, Groom was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to marijuana and money laundering offenses.  Lopes and Johnson are awaiting trial. 

 

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael D. O’Keefe; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts States Police; Barnstable County Sheriff James M. Cummings; Barnstable Police Chief Paul MacDonald; Falmouth Police Chief Edward A. Dunne; Mashpee Police Chief Scott Carline; Bourne Police Chief Dennis Woodside; and Wareham Police Chief Kevin D. Walsh, made the announcement today.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Heinrich of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

 

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.