LEADER OF SALISBURY DRUG CONSPIRACY SENTENCED TO OVER 14 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz, sentenced Jameal Gould, a/k/a “Milio,” age 29, of Salisbury, Maryland, today to 175 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Ava Cooper-Davis of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew Maciarello; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Wicomico County Sheriff Michael A. Lewis; and Chief Michael Phillips of the Fruitland Police Department of the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force.

According to Gould’s guilty plea, from November 2009, through January 2010, Jameal Gould conspired with a number of other individuals to distribute powder and crack cocaine in and around Salisbury, Maryland. Gould admitted that he assisted other members of the organization by negotiating with cocaine suppliers and obtaining kilogram quantities of cocaine for distribution by the co-defendants. During the investigation of this drug conspiracy, law enforcement utilized wire intercepts of the cellular telephones of Gould and his co-conspirators, during which Gould was intercepted discussing obtaining amounts of cocaine and referring potential buyers to other members of the organization.

On December 2, 2009, Gould and several co-conspirators, including Erica Vogt, were under surveillance while in New York, where a vehicle stop was conducted on the Cadillac Escalade being operated by Gould. A search revealed an empty trap. A search warrant was obtained for Vogt’s vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of six kilograms of cocaine.

Gould admitted that he, along with other members of the conspiracy, conspired to distribute between 5 and 15 kilograms of cocaine, as well as crack cocaine.

Co-conspirator Erica Vogt, age 23, of Salisbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charge and is awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force and Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Christine Celeste, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to drug cases, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.