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A 99-count indictment unsealed in the Northern District of New York Tuesday, Jan. 31 accuses 17 defendants of taking part in an operation that saw thousands of kilograms of marijuana shipped from a business in California to locations across the country, including the Capital Region.
The drugs were allegedly shipped between 2016 and June 2022 in packages that were delivered by UPS and FedEx.
Prosecutors said the scheme was headed by Dwight Singletary and McKenzie Coles, who are from New York but relocated to California and ran the operation out of a shipping business in Fresno.
Among those who received the marijuana packages were more than a dozen residents in the Capital Region, according to prosecutors. Shipments also included edibles containing THC that were sold in the Albany area.
Investigators said the marijuana and edibles were often taken to “knock-spots,” where the products were sold through a slot in the door.
Federal agents reported finding numerous guns and ammunition at the locations, and at the homes of those accused of running the knock spots. Two defendants, David Singletary and Lawrence Mumphrey, were prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.
According to prosecutors, proceeds from the illegal drug sales were laundered in a variety of ways, including through money transfers, cashier’s checks, and real estate transactions.
Some of the cash was also allegedly deposited into bank accounts of businesses in Dwight Singletary’s name, including DAS Empire, Daddy D’s Boutique, as well as McKenzie Coles’ company, M.M.M.C. Management.
Investigators said trafficking proceeds were used by Singletary and Coles to purchase two homes in Fresno for $820,000 and to pay for renovations at their other properties in the Capital Region.
Some of the renovated homes were later sold, including one on 5th Avenue in Troy, prosecutors said. Originally purchased in 2016 for $9,000, Singletary reportedly sold it in 2022 for $250,000.
Federal prosecutors are seeking, among other things, the forfeiture of seven properties in Fresno and the Capital Region, over $300,000 in cash, over $500,000 worth of jewelry, and several luxury cars, including a Mercedes G63 and a Mercedes S580.
The following New York residents are named in the indictment, and are charged with drug trafficking and/or money laundering offenses:
- David Singletary, age 36, of Cohoes
- Isiah Ti-Quan Clements, age 35, of Troy
- Lawrence Mumphrey, age 43, of Albany
- Latrice Mumphrey, age 41, of Albany
- Deandre Caldwell, age 30, of Albany
- Rosemary Coles, age 70, of Troy
- Kristle Walker, age 30, of Albany
- Niara Banks, age 31, of Troy
- Jazell Shuler, age 34, of Troy
- Toqwanda Ketchmore, age 28, of Troy
- Victor Turner, age 58, of Troy
- JuneAllyson Osman, age 57, of Troy
- LaFay Pearson, age 21, of Latham
- Consanga Harris, age 62, of Troy
- Alyssa June White, age 29, of Troy
If convicted, each faces between five years and life in prison.
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