Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MACON, Ga. – A confirmed member of a local criminal street gang was sentenced to life in prison this week for his role in a prolific armed drug organization in Middle Georgia dealing kilograms of fentanyl and other deadly street drugs often mixed with the lethal synthetic opioid.
Kenneth Emanuel Pertillo, Jr. aka “Fat Boy,” 40, of Gray, Georgia, and formerly of Macon, West Virginia and North Carolina, was sentenced to serve life in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal on June 12. Pertillo was found guilty at trial on Oct. 2, 2023, of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base. His co-defendant at trial, Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, 37, of Macon, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin; one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base; and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Barnwell faces a maximum of life in prison and his sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This armed criminal organization was pushing large amounts of fentanyl and other lethal combinations of street drugs mixed with fentanyl into our neighborhoods, putting many people at risk of death and degrading the safety of all,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Working alongside law enforcement at every level, our office will continue to leverage every available investigative and prosecutorial tool to reduce violent crime and keep communities safe.”
“Gangs wreak havoc on local residents by engaging in violence and peddling dangerous drugs that devastate communities and families,” said Senior Supervisory Special Agent Robert Gibbs of FBI Macon. “As this lengthy sentence demonstrates, the FBI and our partners will do whatever is necessary to dismantle violent criminal enterprises and keep our communities safe.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, FBI began investigating a large-scale fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine distribution organization in Macon and the Central Georgia region in March 2020. Federal agents identified Pertillo and Barnwell as distributors and part of the MOB (Money Over Bitches) sect of the Mafia criminal street gang. To advance the investigation, agents conducted multiple controlled purchases from various defendants in the case and obtained orders authorizing wiretaps on five phones used by members of the organization, including Barnwell. Controlled purchases occurred at trap houses on Mimosa Drive and Culver Street, and at a local nightclub, among other locations. Illegal drugs being sold as “heroin” often tested as a fentanyl mix.
On July 20, 2021, FBI executed search warrants at eleven Macon addresses identified as trap houses or distribution locations on Mimosa Drive, Culver Street, Forest Hill Road, Riverside Park Boulevard, Lucerne Drive, Shurling Drive and Kingsview Drive. Agents found approximately eight kilograms of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base plus 20 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, large-capacity firearm magazines and more than $50,000 cash. At one location—an apartment identified as a drug “lab” at 3990 Riverside Park Blvd. where Barnwell and Pertillo would mix fentanyl and heroin in a kitchen blender before selling it—agents found approximately 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly one kilogram of pure fentanyl, more than one kilogram of a pure fentanyl chemical analogue and more than two kilograms of blends containing fentanyl, heroin and fentanyl analogue mix. Agents also found nearly half a kilogram of pure heroin, more than 280 grams of cocaine base, 80 grams of cocaine and 64 grams of ketamine. Agents seized several firearms, a fully loaded AR14 drum magazine, ammunition and $5,778 cash at that location.
In all, the organization is responsible for distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute more than three kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl analogue, 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly two kilograms of heroin and significant quantities of cocaine base and cocaine.
The following co-defendants have been sentenced:
Troy Truelle Williams, Sr., aka “Ty, 55, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 300 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on March 13, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and heroin;
De’Kerio Ja’mel Coleman aka “Dee,” 36, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 220 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Feb. 13, after he previously pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl;
Christopher Leon Coleman aka “Slim,” 41, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 13, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Gregory Bernard Jolly aka “Stank,” 38, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on May 15, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Joshua Antoine Green aka “J” or “Jay,” 33, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 160 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 24, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Romello Campbell, 22, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on May 9, 2023, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Diamond Monique Thomas, 28, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on July 11, 2023, after she previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Jameliha Shalonda Coleman aka “Juicy,” 27, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 90 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on June 9, 2023, after she previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Recardo Keon Ray aka “Keon,” 39, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Feb. 13, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine;
Johnnie B. Lowe, 68, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 63 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on March 13, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl;
Michael Clifford White, 41, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 63 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on March 13, after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl;
Tiara Thomas aka “Red,” 23, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 24, after she previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl; and
Rochelle Oliver aka “Chelle,” 40, of Macon, was sentenced to three years of probation on Feb. 13, after she previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from numerous agencies who participated in executing search warrants and conducting arrests, including the DEA, the GBI, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Perry Police Department and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.