Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

AKRON - Andre Badley, 49, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams to nearly 20 years in prison after he was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin.

Badley was sentenced to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for a period of 188 months as to Counts 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the indictment and 120 months as to Count 4, both to be served concurrently. In addition, Badley was also sentenced to 51 months in prison for violating his federal supervised release. In total, Badley will serve nearly 20 years in prison.

Badley was previously convicted in 1997 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and sentenced to life in prison for distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine. Badley served more than 23 years of that sentence and was released in 2019 under the First Step Act.

According to court documents, on March 5, 2021, law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant at a residence known to be occupied by Badley after receiving information regarding suspected drug trafficking activity. During the search, a K-9 unit alerted authorities to the presence of controlled substances, and investigators found large quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl and two firearms in the residence. Then, on March 25, 2021, Badley was found to be in possession of another large quantity of crack cocaine in his vehicle.

Badley is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous conviction of drug trafficking in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

This case was investigated by the Shaker Heights Police Department, with assistance from the DEA and ATF. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Kolansky and Vanessa V. Healy.