Powell sentenced to 12 years, 11 months in Detroit-to-Warren drug conspiracy

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

milliken@vindy.com

CLEVELAND

A Warren man charged in a major drug distribution conspiracy has been sentenced to nearly 13 years in federal prison after his guilty plea.

Lewis C. Powell II, 37, drew a sentence of 12 years, 11 months Tuesday from Judge Donald C. Nugent of U.S. District Court here.

Powell pleaded guilty earlier to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine between February 2012 and April 2013 and being an unlicensed firearms dealer during 2012.

Powell had initially been charged additionally with crack cocaine distribution, being a felon with body armor, using a phone to commit a felony, two counts of possessing a gun with an obliterated serial number, four counts of heroin distribution and 14 counts of being a felon with a gun. However, Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, dropped those charges in the plea deal.

Dettelbach said Powell, who illegally sold large quantities of guns to someone he believed was a drug dealer, was part of a conspiracy that brought cocaine and heroin from Detroit to Warren.

Warren is “a community where we found that there was a drug pipeline coming from Detroit that was causing violence in that community, that was causing people in that community to be literally held hostage in their homes,” Dettelbach said in remarks outside the courthouse after the sentencing.

“We’re happy to be working with the federal agencies and with the state and local police departments to try and help that community to take back their streets,” he added.

Powell was charged after a major investigation in Warren in which 155 guns were bought or seized, 55 people were charged in April 2013 with federal gun and narcotics crimes and 42 more faced state charges.

The federal cases are being prosecuted by assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Toepfer and Daniel J. Riedl.

The cases were investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Marshal’s Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, Trumbull-Ashtabula-Geauga Task Force, and Warren, Youngstown and Ravenna police departments.

Powell was convicted in 2002 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court of aggravated assault, assault on a peace officer and cocaine possession.

He is a career offender, having been convicted of 29 crimes since July 1997, including the two assault felonies in 2002, Riedl told the judge.

He has been unemployed for his entire adult life, except for a brief stint as a 2012 election campaign telemarketer, Riedl said.

However, Powell’s lawyer, Vicki Lynn Ward of Cleveland, said the vast majority of his convictions were for misdemeanors and it is unfair to characterize him as a career offender.

Powell’s criminal history includes convictions for driving under license suspension and under the influence of alcohol, aggravated trespass, criminal damaging and endangering, obstructing official business and resisting arrest, Riedl said.