Petersburg Man Convicted of Gun and Drug Charges
RICHMOND, Va. – Cory D. Harris, 26, of Petersburg, Va., was convicted today by a federal jury on drug and weapons offenses.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Richard Marianos, Acting Special Agent In Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; John Dixon, Chief, Petersburg Police Department; and Edward Frankenstein, Chief, Prince George County Police Department, made the announcement of the verdict. Harris faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when he is sentenced by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson on November 14, 2011.
The evidence at trial was that in a search of Harris’s Petersburg residence on January 29, 2010, Petersburg police officers recovered over 100 grams of “crack” cocaine in a dresser drawer in Harris’s bedroom. The officers also recovered four firearms and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. On January 24, 2011, members of the Central Virginia Narcotics Task Force searched another of Harris’ residences, this one in Prince George’s County, and recovered more drug paraphernalia and two AK-47 assault rifles, one loaded with a 75-round magazine.
Several cooperating witnesses at trial corroborated the evidence recovered at the two houses and confirmed that Harris was a “crack” cocaine dealer responsible for distributing significant amounts of “crack” cocaine in the Petersburg area over several years.
After a two day trial, a jury convicted Harris of conspiracy to distribute “crack” cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute “crack” cocaine, two counts of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and two counts of possessing firearms by a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Petersburg Police Department; the Prince George County Police Department; and the Central Virginia Narcotics Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter S. Duffey and Jamie L. Mickelson prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
