Lakewood man convicted in cocaine distribution

A Lakewood man was convicted by a federal jury last week on a crack cocaine trafficking charge, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

After five hours of deliberations, which began on Aug. 1, a jury convicted Michael Stallworth, 20, also known as "Ski" and "Lock and Load," of the one charge in the indictment against him for distribution and possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine.

U.S. District Chief Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr., who presided over the three-day trial in Trenton, scheduled sentencing for Nov. 7.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, during the trial the jury heard the testimony of nine government witnesses and viewed numerous pieces of evidence regarding Stallworth's crack cocaine trafficking activities.

In convicting the defendant, the jury found that on Oct. 27, 2006, a confidential informant (CI) placed a consensually recorded telephone call to Stallworth, in which the defendant agreed to sell 20 grams of crack cocaine to the CI for $600.

According to testimony, prior to the CI's scheduled meeting with Stallworth, special agents with the FBI's Anti-Gang Task Force provided the CI with $600 and a recording device to capture the conversation during the drug transaction.

The jury found that shortly thereafter, Stallworth met with the CI outside a house in Lakewood and sold the CI approximately 20 grams of crack cocaine in exchange for $600.

A conviction for distribution and possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum statutory sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $4 million.

In determining an actual sentence, Brown will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant's criminal history, which in this case includes three prior felony convictions for aggravated assault, including an assault on a police officer and an assault inside the Ocean County jail, as well as other factors.

The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence, according to the press release.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.