Maryland Man Sentenced To 100 Months In Prison For Supplying Network That Distributed Cocaine And Heroin-Arrest Followed DEA Investigation-

     WASHINGTON – Herman Curtis Malone, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was sentenced today to 100 months in prison for his role in a network that distributed substantial quantities of cocaine and heroin in the Washington, D.C. area.

     The sentencing, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Karl C. Colder,Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

     Malone pled guilty in March 2014 to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle. Upon completion of his prison term, Malone will be placed on five years of supervised release; during that time-frame, he must perform 75 hours of community service each year. Malone also must pay a forfeiture money judgment of $150,000.

     Malone, who helped run youth basketball programs, had been convicted of a narcotics offense during the 1990s in Prince George’s County, Md.  He was arrested on the current offenses on Aug. 9, 2013, following a DEA Group-43 Cross-Border-Task-Force investigation.

     Three others have pled guilty to charges in the case. Clarence Redd, 35, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to a charge of distribution of heroin that took place in August of 2012. He was sentenced to a 90-month prison term. Derico Williams, 36, of Silver Spring, Md., and Stephen Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Both men are awaiting sentencing; they are not related.

     Another defendant, Micah Jerry Bidgell, 47, of Washington, D.C., is a fugitive.

     According to the government’s evidence, Malone himself conspired with others from August 2012 to August 2013 to distribute cocaine and heroin in the Washington, D.C. area.  Malone acknowledged that as part of the conspiracy he was responsible for at least five kilograms of cocaine and at least 100 grams of heroin. 

     On Aug. 9, 2013, the DEA found a loaded .40-caliber handgun in the upstairs bedroom of Malone’s home in Upper Marlboro.  Downstairs in the basement, agents found 998.5 grams of cocaine and 81.2 grams of heroin; a bag of .40-caliber ammunition; and cocaine residue in a sink and trash can.  Malone, as someone who had been previously convicted in 1991 of a felony offense for possession with intent to distribute cocaine in Prince George’s County, Md., was not lawfully able to possess a firearm.

     “Curtis Malone had the opportunity to be a positive role model for young people, but with today’s prison sentence, he becomes a cautionary tale,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “The lesson is simple: peddling drugs and toting guns will put you behind bars.  We hope that young people who see Malone’s fate will steer clear of the lifestyle that led to his downfall.”

     “The cloak that Curtis Malone wore for more than two decades has been removed and a man who was once entrusted with his community's most valuable assets, its children, will no longer live freely in the community that he was covertly destroying,” said Special Agent in Charge Colder “DEA has assured that Mr. Malone will pay a dear price for dealing heroin and cocaine on the streets of the District, all the while touting himself as a mentor to children. As a father, I cannot think of anything worse in life than being entrusted the future of our youth and abusing that privileged as Mr. Malone has clearly done.”

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Special Agent in Charge Colder commended the work of those who investigated the case for the DEA. They also expressed appreciation to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Maryland State Police, and the Maryland Park Police. Assistance was provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

     U.S. Attorney Machen and Special Agent in Charge Colder also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Rommel Pachoca, Starla Stolk, Candace Battle, Teesha Tobias, Regan Gibson, Kim Hall and Mary Downing; former Paralegal Specialist Jeremy Stoller; Legal Assistants Jessica Moffatt, Tammy Scott, Latoya Wade, and Diane Brashears, and former Legal Assistant Niya Attucks. They recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allessandra Stewart, Zia Faruqui, and Arvind K. Lal, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen J. Gripkey, Darlene M. Soltys, and Nihar R. Mohanty, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Zamarin, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.