Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing with Intent to Distribute More Than 2 Pounds of Cocaine

CONCORD – A Manchester man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing with intent to distribute a kilogram of cocaine in New Hampshire, First Assistant Jay McCormack announces.

Michael Francis, 36, pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance. U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe scheduled sentencing for February 20, 2024. The defendant was charged by superseding indictment on December 13, 2021.

On September 1, 2021, law enforcement conducted a search of the defendant’s vehicle and found a gift bag containing a brick of cocaine that weighed 1000.5 grams and $10,000 in cash.  The defendant intended to distribute the cocaine for profit.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no less than 5 years and no greater than 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of no greater than $5,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Gingrande, Charlie Rombeau, and Jarad Hodes prosecuted the case.

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