Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On June 12, 2018, a federal grand jury in Greeneville returned a 38-count indictment against the following individuals for their roles in the distribution of methamphetamine:

• Leonard Wayne Mullinax, 48, of Gaffney, South Carolina
• Jamie Nicole Wilson, 41, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee
• Edward Ray Walters, 47, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee
• Michael James Walters, 44, of Church Hill, Tennessee
• Corey Aaron Morelock, 29, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee
• Amber Lynn Hall, 29, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee
• Matthew Glenn Russell, 26, of Rogersville, Tennessee
• Christopher Lee Pyles, 43, of Rogersville, Tennessee
• Destiny Lashay Lawson, 25, of Rogersville, Tennessee
• Megan Rose Moore, 39, of Rogersville, Tennessee
• Matthew Jacob Keirsey, 23, of Rogersville, Tennessee
• Jason Ronald Burchfield, 39, of Rogersville, Tennessee
• Beverly Ann Brooks, 33, of Kingsport, Tennessee
• Jimmy Lee Gray, 35, of Kingsport, Tennessee
• Jacob Donald Meyers, 25, of Church Hill, Tennessee
• Jeannie Michelle Bowman, 45, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee

A trial date before the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, has not yet been set.

The indictment, on file with the U.S. District Court, alleges that each of these individuals was involved in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Tennessee and elsewhere. Edward Walters, Morelock, Hall, Russell, Bowman, Wilson, Meyers, and Michael Walters are also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Edward Walters, Russell, and Bowman are each charged with an additional count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment also alleges other charges related to the distribution and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine as well as the unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.

If convicted of the methamphetamine conspiracy charge, each faces a minimum mandatory prison term of at least 10 years and up to life, at least five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $10,000,000, any applicable forfeiture, and a $100 special assessment. The punishment for the firearm charges returned against Edward Walters, Morelock, Hall, Russell, Bowman, Wilson, Meyers, and

Michael Walters is a minimum mandatory term of at least five years and up to life in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed, up to five years supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 special assessment. Edward Walters, Russell, and Bowman, on the second firearms charge returned against them, face a minimum mandatory 25 years imprisonment up to life imprisonment, which must be served consecutively to any other prison term.

The ongoing investigation leading to the indictment was the product of a partnership between the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department, Hamblen County Sherriff’s Department, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Department, Third Judicial Drug Task Force, Cherokee County Sherriff’s Department, U.S. Marshal Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Postal Inspector, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Wayne Taylor will represent the United States in court proceedings.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until his or her guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation is a result of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

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