Defendants Receive Sentences of 10+ Years in Federal Prison
SHREVEPORT, La. – Thomas Shane Benefield, 46, of Bossier City, Louisiana, and Antravion D. Johnson, 24, of Shreveport, Louisiana, have each been sentenced in unrelated cases by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr., announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
Thomas Shane Benefield was sentenced to 168 months (14 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Benefield, along with five other individuals, was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2020 and charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty to the charge on May 5, 2021 and admitted to the court that he committed the offense. In early 2020, law enforcement agents began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Benefield and his co-conspirators. Agents learned that they were traveling to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine and bringing it back to sell in the Shreveport/Bossier City area. On June 12, 2020, Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on Benefield and he gave consent to search the truck he was driving. Deputies found two firearms, along with 30.2 grams of methamphetamine and a scale in the truck. Benefield admitted to helping his co-conspirators distribute methamphetamine and that he collected money from many different buyers in the local area for the narcotics they purchased. In addition, Benefield purchased some of the methamphetamine so he could personally sell it and make money for himself. Benefield has previous felony convictions for manufacturing methamphetamine (2002) and possession with intent to distribute Schedule I (2009).
The FBI, ATF, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Antravion D. Johnson, who has a lengthy criminal history, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Johnson was charged by a federal grand jury for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and he pleaded guilty to the charge on May 5, 2021. The charge stems from an incident which occurred on February 12, 2021 when Shreveport Police Department officers executed a search warrant at an apartment on Peach Street in Shreveport. Johnson was inside the apartment when the warrant was executed. Officers found a loaded Glock pistol inside the residence and just outside of the apartment, officers found a loaded Micro Draco pistol inside a vehicle. Johnson admitted that he possessed the firearms knowing that as a convicted felon, he was prohibited from doing so. Johnson was previously convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm (2016), felony theft (2015), and felon in possession of a firearm (2017).
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moody prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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