(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)
Eight Springfield, Mo., residents and two Willard, Mo., residents are among 15 defendants indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County, Mo.
Patrick Roger Brigaudin, 54, Timothy Garth Hall, 55, Jennifer Louise Minor, 41, Amber Marie Vantuyl, 35, Gary Lee Driggers, 64, William Frank Eft, 66, Leah Renee Binney, 55, and William David Watts, 58, all of Springfield, Gayla Rochelle Phillips, 41, and Richard Todd Sherwood, 58, both of Willard, Mo., Adrian Ortiz-Corrales, 41, and Eduardo Diaz, 52, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Carlos Alberto Luna, 42, Federico Herrera-Preciado, 51, and Maria Zetina-Ortega, 28, who have no known address, were charged in a 37-count second superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. The second superseding indictment replaces an earlier indictment and includes additional charges and defendants.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers in Texas interdicted a shipment of approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine, of which nine pounds was allegedly being delivered to Brigaudin, in March 2015. Brigaudin was arrested with Hall, Diaz and Ortiz-Corrales on Feb. 29, 2016, when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence. According to court documents, Diaz and Ortiz-Corrales were in the garage and were in the process of accessing a hidden compartment underneath the bed of a 1994 Dodge pickup. Brigaudin was taken into custody as he exited the back door of the residence. Officers found approximately 12 pounds of methamphetamine and six and half pounds of heroin inside the truck’s hidden compartment. While officers were at Brigaudin’s residence, Hall arrived, driving a motorcycle, and was placed under arrest.
The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants participated in conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County from October 2013 to Feb. 29, 2016. The federal indictment also alleges that Brigaudin, Ortiz-Corrales, Phillips, Luna, Herrera-Preciado and Zetina-Ortega participated in a money-laundering conspiracy during that time by conspiring to conduct financial transactions that involved the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.
Ortiz-Corrales and Diaz are also charged together in one count of possessing one kilogram or more of heroin with the intent to distribute.
In addition to the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies, Brigaudin is charged with four counts of distributing methamphetamine and one count of attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Brigaudin, Ortiz-Corrales and Diaz are charged together in one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Brigaudin and Phillips are charged together in one count of money laundering. Ortiz-Corrales and Luna are charged together in two counts of money laundering. Ortiz-Corrales and Herrera-Preciado are charged together in two counts of money laundering. Ortiz-Corrales, Herrera-Preciado and Zetina-Ortega are charged together in two counts of money laundering.
Vantuyl, Hall, Binney, Eft and Sherwood are each also charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Minor is also charged with two counts of distributing methamphetamine. Phillips is charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine.
Driggers is also charged with four counts of using a telephone to facilitate the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Binney is charged with two counts of using a telephone to facilitate the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Minor, Eft, Hall, Phillips, Watts and Sherwood are each charged with one count of using a telephone to facilitate the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Watts is also charged with maintaining a premises that he made available for unlawfully storing, distributing, and using methamphetamine.
The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations, which would require Brigaudin to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy, including $5,603, a 2006 Lincoln Mark LT and a 1998 Harley Davidson motorcycle, all of which were seized by law enforcement officers. A forfeiture allegation would require Phillips to forfeit $18,000, which was seized by law enforcement officers. A forfeiture allegation would require Ortiz-Corrales to forfeit $880 that was seized by law enforcement officers.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Ozark, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the COMET (Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team) Task Force and the South Central Drug Task Force.