United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

FORMER NEW BRITAIN RESIDENT INVOLVED IN CRACK CONSPIRACY SENTENCED TO MORE THAN 10 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES SCOTT, 30, formerly of New Britain and Biddeford, Maine, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 121 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.  On August 28, 2008, SCOTT pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, in October 2007, SCOTT and Richard Rivera conspired to distribute crack cocaine.  As part of the conspiracy, on October 14, 2007, Rivera purchased approximately nine ounces of powder cocaine in Newington, Connecticut.  Rivera then transported the powder cocaine to a motel room in Biddeford, Maine, where SCOTT “cooked” the cocaine into approximately nine ounces of crack.  On October 18, 2007, SCOTT and Rivera drove Rivera’s vehicle, which contained approximately 246 grams of crack, from Maine to Manchester, Connecticut, for the purpose of selling the crack.  They were arrested at that time.

Rivera pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on January 8, 2009, he also was sentenced to 121 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manchester Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov