BOSTON – After three hours of deliberations, a federal jury convicted a Canton man yesterday of heroin distribution charges.
Obinna Obiora, 38, was convicted following a six-day trial of conspiring with others to distribute heroin in the greater Brockton area. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for April 28, 2017.
Over the course of three weeks between September and October 2015, Obiora and his brother, Chukwuma Obiora, provided heroin in amounts ranging from 300 to 400 grams, to Marvin Antoine. The last time that Obinna Obiora and his brother supplied heroin to Antoine, Antoine stole the heroin and refused to pay. Obinna Obiora called Antoine repeatedly to collect his drug debt. These calls were intercepted on a federally-authorized wiretap.
Chukwuma Obiora previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and is set to be sentenced on March 27, 2017 by Judge Young. Antoine is scheduled to stand trial in spring 2017.
The narcotics charge provides for no greater than life in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $10 million. Obiora also faces deportation to Nigeria upon completion of his sentence. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Michael Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The Brockton Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and Barnstable Police Department assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Rosen and Leah Foley of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money are prosecuting the case.