FORT WORTH, Texas — Following a one-day trial yesterday before U.S. District Judge John McBryde, a federal jury convicted Cleto Tarin, 52, most recently of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Hector Saldivar, 33, of Wichita Falls, Texas, each on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Tarin and Salvidar each face a statutory penalty of not less than five years or more than 40 years in federal prison and up to a $5 million fine. They are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge McBryde in August 2016.
With these two convictions yesterday, all 14 defendants charged in an indictment with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine that was returned by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth on February 10, 2016, have been convicted.
Three defendants, Miguel Antonio Martinez, 31, Marcus Caldwell, 32, and Bobbie Frie, Jr., 30, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. They each face a statutory penalty of not less than five years or more than 40 years in federal prison and up to a $5 million fine.
Seven defendants, David Sheppard, 40, Kendra Ward, 27, Eric Overstreet, 27, Robert Baggott, 45, Cecil Hindman, 51, Oscar Melanson, 31, and Jonathan Morris, 31, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. They each face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.
Two defendants, Susan Williams, 29, and Raymondo Acuna, 31, each pleaded guilty to one substantive count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as charged in superseding informations. They each face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.
Sentencing dates for the 12 defendants who pleaded guilty are set in July and August 2016.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wichita Falls Police Department conducted the investigation.
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