Wheaton Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy To Distribute and Possess With Intent To Distribute Heroin and Cocaine Base
Federal Sentence to be Served Consecutive to the Defendant’s 15-Year State Sentence for Burglary and Armed Robbery
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Thomas Lee Keyes, a/k/a “Mac,” a/k/a “Richard Lee Dantzler,” a/k/a “Mark Anton Johnson,” age 56, of Wheaton, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base. Judge Messitte ordered that Keyes’ federal sentence is to be served consecutive to the 15-year sentence Keyes is currently serving a for a state burglary and firearm conviction.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Interim Chief Hector Velez of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, from February 2014 to July 2017, Keyes conspired with others to possess and distribute quantities of heroin and cocaine base (“crack”) in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Keys distributed heroin and crack from his residence in Hyattsville, Maryland, and later from a condominium unit in Beltsville, Maryland, and from hotels in College Park, Maryland. At the hotels, Keyes and others rented rooms where they used, stored, and sold drugs. At times, Keyes hand delivered the narcotics to customers at their homes. From April 2015 to January 2017, Keyes sold at least 595 grams of heroin and 457 grams of crack sporadically amongst four individuals. One individual bought $300 of narcotics on almost a daily basis.
Keyes was arrested by law enforcement on June 20, 2017 at a hotel in College Park. Keyes acknowledges that the distribution of at least 700 grams of heroin and at least 225 grams of cocaine base were foreseeable to him during the time of the conspiracy.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner praised the ATF, the FBI, and the Prince George County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Sykes and Daniel C. Gardner, who prosecuted the case.
# # #
