U.S. Attorney John L. Brownlee says Teresa Annette “Big Momma” Ely, 39, and four others pleaded guilty on April 18, to their roles in a 10-year-old Oxycodone distribution ring, headed by Ely, in Lee County.
“At Ms. Ely’s direction, the members of this conspiracy sold thousands of Oxycodone pills on the streets of Lee County for illegal use. Now, because of her criminal conduct, Ms. Ely faces a minimum of 20 years in prison. I commend the hard work of the investigators and prosecutors that have stopped the members of this conspiracy from distributing this drug, in Lee County,” Brownlee stated.
All five of the defendants, including Ely, who pleaded guilty to being the leader of a continuing criminal enterprise, are from Pennington Gap. The others — Kimberly Roop Homan, 28; Stacy Renee Homan Bishop, 26; Jerri Domenech, said.
There were three others involved in the conspiracy and they all pleaded guilty, in federal court, in January. They are Beverly Benfield, 41, and Jennifer Bryson, 35, who pleaded guilty to distribution of Oxycodone and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute Oxycodone. Jerry Stapleton, 48, pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting in the distribution of Oxycodone, as charged in a two count Information filed in United States District Court on Jan. 9.
“I am proud that we have taken a major drug dealer off the streets. This is a good example of the success we can achieve when local and federal authorities work in unison. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for allowing us to remain closely involved throughout this entire investigation,” stated Lee County Sheriff Gary B. Parsons.
The defendants were charged on September 6, 2006 in a 27-count indictment and in a superseding indictment returned on December 19, 2006. The indictment charged Ely with running a continuing criminal enterprise, an organization whose purpose was to distribute Oxycodone, with maintaining a residence for the purpose of distributing Oxycodone, and with numerous counts of distribution. The indictment charged all nine defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute Oxycodone.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Bockhorst presented evidence that Ely began dealing illegally in prescription painkillers as early as 1996, dealing primarily in Oxycodone, in 1997, shortly after the drug came on the market. Initially, Ely obtained pills and took them to others, including Jennifer Bryson, who would sell the pills for her from their own residence. In approximately 2000, Ely allowed a number of her codefendants to move into her house, where they were provided a small quaintly of Oxycodone for their own use, cigarettes, and room and board in exchange for helping Ely obtain and sell the pills. Between 2000 and 2005, Benfield, Bishop, Bryson, Homan, Wendling, Brewer, and Deskins all resided at the Ely residence for some period of time and each distributed Oxycontin from the residence. The group supplied a steady stream of customers, frequently selling ten or more Oxycontin tablets per day. The pills were obtained by Ely and the others from individuals in Ohio and from a number of local suppliers in Lee County and nearby communities in Tennessee.
The defendants will be sentenced at a later date. Ely faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life, plus fines and forfeiture of her property. The remaining defendants each face fines and a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for each count of conviction.
The charges were the result of a long-term investigation conducted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, the Southwest Regional Drug Task Force, and the Bristol Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Bockhorst is prosecuting the case.
C.J. Harte is a Correspondent for the Daily News. He can be reached via e-mail at charte@middlesborodailynews.com.
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