A Troy city school board member and her daughter were among 24 people charged by federal prosecutors in a California-to-Capital Region marijuana trafficking conspiracy and money laundering case. Pictured is the James T. Foley United States Courthouse in Albany, N.Y.
ALBANY — A 70-year-old woman on the Troy city school board and her daughter were among 24 reputed members of a large-scale marijuana trafficking ring that authorities charged with shipping thousands of kilograms of pot from California to the Capital Region over several years.
Rosemary Coles, 70, is among those facing federal drug and money laundering charges for their alleged roles in an outfit that prosecutors said used UPS and FedEx to clandestinely move the marijuana from a small shipping business in Fresno to Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties, according to a 99-count indictment and forfeiture allegation unsealed in U.S. District Court.
Coles pleaded not guilty on Jan. 6 during an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart. She is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to sell more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, as well as money laundering and money laundering conspiracy between 2016 and June 15, 20022, the indictment said.
The charges carry 10 years to life in prison upon conviction, but under federal sentencing guidelines the likely term could be far less.
In a phone interview Tuesday, Coles told the Times Union she committed no crime. She said she simply drove her daughter to the bank in her car.
“The only thing I can say is I’m not guilty,” Coles said. “I’ve never done anything against the law in my whole life … I don’t even have a traffic ticket. They’re just assuming that I’m guilty of something and they have no proof of it.”
Coles’ attorney, Terrence Kelly, declined comment outside of noting his client’s not guilty plea.
Dwight A. Singletary II, 40, known as “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” and the school board member’s daughter, McKenzie Coles, 35, known as “Kenzie,” both of Fresno, were the top names charged in the indictment. In 2008, Singletary was acquitted at trial in Rensselaer County Court of an attempted murder charge. Prosecutors alleged Singletary, while on a one-day furlough from state prison, shot his ex-girlfriend in the neck in a Fifth Street apartment. Singetary has served two state prison terms for drug possession in Albany County and later for possession of a forged instrument in Greene County.
More recently, the alleged ring shipped weed — including marijuana “edibles” such as candies, pastries, drinks and sauces — from the Fast Pack & Ship in Fresno, Calif., which was owned by the school board member’s daughter, the indictment said. McKenzie Coles owned a management company, MMMC, tied to the business. Singletary owned businesses named DAS Empire, Inc. and Daddy D’s Boutique.
Prosecutors said Singletary and Coles bought two homes in Fresno for $820,000. They said they used hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate Singletary-owned properties, including one on Fifth Avenue in Troy that Singletary bought for $9,000 in 2016 and sold for $250,000 in 2020.
The pot was shipped under the names of businesses that were not involved in the delivery. Some of the marijuana was sold in “knock spots” around the Capital Region, including a location on 2657 Fifth Ave. in Troy, the indictment said. It said proceeds of the sales were laundered through money transfers, cash and money deposits in banks, transportation and delivery of cash, purchase of cashier’s checks and real estate transactions.
Singletary, McKenzie Coles and others allegedly text-messaged receipts to alleged co-conspirators that contained package-tracking information.
Federal prosecutors filed documents looking to seize from the defendants seven properties in Fresno and the Capital Region, more than $300,000 in cash, two Mercedes luxury vehicles, $500,000 worth of jewelry, a watch with an estimated value of $114,000 and chinchilla fur vest.
Singletary and McKenzie Coles face the same 10-years-to-life sentence if convicted.
“Cannabis is legal in New York and it’s legal in California but the federal government still considers it a controlled substance on par with heroin,” Lee Kindlon, the attorney for Singletary, told the Times Union. “This is a financial crimes case cosplaying as something else.”
Facing the same charges and other counts were Singletary’s younger brother, David Singletary, 36, known as “D.B.,” and Lawrence Mumphrey, 43, known as “L.” Both were charged with possessing a weapon as a prior felon. Mumphrey allegedly possessed three large-caliber rifles and a handgun — two of which were missing serial numbers. And he was carrying 79 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said.
Another defendant, Deandre Caldwell, 30, known as ““Dilli,” “Dillinger,” and “Dre,” allegedly possessed a gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; while Kristle Walker, 30, known as “Demii,” allegedly made false statements. Investigators seized $179,710 from Walker at Albany International Airport.
Many of the defendants facing drug and money laundering charges were close to retirement age. Defendants included Victor Turner, 58; Consanga Harris, 62, known as “Sondy;” JuneAllyson Osman, 57, known as “Juney; Alyssa June White, 29; LaFay Pearson, 21, known as “Lala;” Toqwanda Ketchmore, 28, known as “Quannie;” Isiah Ti-Quan Clements, 35, known as “Zay; ” Latrice Mumphrey, 41; Jazell Shuler, 34; and Niara Banks, 31, known as “Nie.”
A number of others arrested were not named by prosecutors.
The Singletary brothers and Lawrence Mumphrey were held without bail; the other defendants were released on conditions.
The investigation included the offices of U.S. Attorney Carla Freedman; the New York field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York division; Troy police and the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations.
H/T: www.timesunion.com
