BURLINGTON — A part-time Vermont resident, who was the mastermind of a coast-to-coast conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, powder cocaine and crack cocaine and to launder drug money, was sentenced to 12 years in prison during a court hearing in Burlington on Thursday.
DaJuan A. Williams, 31, developed a Chittenden County drug trafficking business that also had additional distribution points in North Dakota, Montana and California that generated him a million-dollar annual enterprise, according to court records. He boasted on a video played in court that he was a “$6 million man.”
Williams also supervised the laundering of drug proceeds via cash deposits into various bank accounts, officials said. The proceeds were later transferred using methods, including mobile payment services such as Venmo, Cash App and Zelle, records show.
In addition, Williams laundered drug proceeds through the purchase of numerous luxury vehicles, including an Audi, a BMW and a Maserati. He also bought clothes, jewelry and houses, officials said. Williams also maintained stash houses in several towns, including Shelburne, Winooski and Burlington, to hide his drugs.
At one point Williams and a co-defendant stopped by the Winooski residence to show the associates the cooking process to turn powder cocaine into crack cocaine, records show.
One co-defendant estimated that Williams shipped drugs in suitcases between 35 and 50 times and in one case, another co-defendant took at least 10 outbound trips from California. The profits were up to “tens of thousands of dollars per day,” records note.
The expansive drug trafficking organization was able to generate astounding profits from the illicit drug trafficking undertaken nationwide.
Chief Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered more than $600,000 in forfeitures from bank accounts and other property generated from the drug trafficking.
Crawford told Williams he would be under supervised release conditions for four years once he is discharged from prison.
A 12-month investigation led by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations office in Vermont led to an initial 16-count indictment of eight defendants. Later, another handful of people were added in a subsequent indictment.
Crawford noted that the drug distribution caused significant devastation in the community. He said some people lost lives, some overdosed and others lost homes because of the drugs distributed.
Court records show that Williams would test drugs on customers to determine which product was favored. Williams would recruit workers to go to his sites across the country.
One Shelburne apartment was used to store and package drugs for resale with four co-defendants working there, records show. The renter of the apartment was given drugs for allowing Williams’ associates to operate from there, but he would later die from an overdose, court records show.
“The business relied on a complicated network of logistics to obtain drugs from suppliers, transport them across the country, and distribute them to customers,” former assistant U.S. attorney John Boscia said in court papers.
“On the financial side, Williams micro-managed on-the-ground distribution, checking in with his workers and frequently demanding the ‘count’ — an accounting of drugs sold and money earned. Earnings of over a million dollars were returned to bank accounts controlled by Williams. The business even had a slogan: Working in ‘perfect harmony,’” records show.
Defense lawyer Chandler Matson, of Stowe, argued that Williams came from a broken home in Detroit and had been living on the street since he was about 8 years old. He said Williams never really had a chance in life, but has turned it around since being in prison in pre-trial detention for almost three years.
Matson said Williams, who dropped out in first grade, has earned his high school degree and 70 other certificates for programs offered at the Northwest State Correctional Facility.
Matson maintained that Williams did not need a long sentence.
Boscia, who has taken another federal job, was on hand Thursday to argue for an 18-year sentence, which the plea agreement had suggested as a maximum penalty.
Boscia noted the federal sentencing guidelines, which are advisory, had calculated a 60-year prison sentence was appropriate based on the facts of the case and the life Williams led.
Making a rare appearance with Boscia at the prosecutor’s table was U.S. Attorney Nikolas “Kolo” Kerest, who reportedly has applied to fill a vacancy by Crawford’s upcoming retirement. He offered no comments during the hearing.
Boscia played a couple of exhibits, including a video showing a woman shooting up in the back seat of a car with Williams. Boscia also played a sometimes inaudible recording of Williams and his now estranged wife, Victoria Scripps Carmody, formerly of Charlotte. During the December 2019 phone call, Williams threatened Scripps Carmody and her family, Boscia said.
About a month later Williams purchased four more vehicles in New York — two BMWs, a Range Rover and a Mercedes, records show.
Boscia wanted the court to have a different impression than the one painted by Matson.
Authorities involved in the investigation are happy that Williams will remain off the streets. He has been detained since his arrest three years ago.
“DaJuan Williams jeopardized the lives and safety of the Vermont public during his time as one of the area’s most prolific criminals,” according to HSI Resident Agent in Charge Alex Zuchman in South Burlington.
“He wrought havoc on the region and led a drug- and money-laundering conspiracy that spanned coast-to-coast and included the trafficking of deadly fentanyl,” the veteran agent said.
“As a result of the detailed and collaborative investigation led by HSI New England and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in Vermont, Williams will now spend years facing the consequences of his actions,” Zuchman said.
Williams went to Mexico in January 2020 in an effort to obtain a source of supply for drugs. He was accompanied by a few associates, including his wife at the time, Victoria Scripps Carmody, records show.
South Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke, whose department also played a significant role in the investigation along with the Vermont Drug Task Force, was pleased with the prison sentence.
“The court recognized the criminal acts of DaJuan for both the severity and the degree of victimization that he imposed in Vermont,” the chief said. He noted it would not have been possible without the efforts of HSI.
Burke said Williams had been in the area, and it became clear he was involved in organizing various criminal activities and at a significant level.
“I think the sentence is appropriate,” Burke said.
