Eighteen people have been arrested in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii in connection with an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering operation based in Gardner, Massachusetts.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, the defendants listed below have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute prohibited narcotics. They appeared in federal courts in Worcester; Trenton, New Jersey; Orlando, Florida; Dallas, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Riverside, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii, last week.
1. Hai Son Pham, 39, of Gardner, Mass.
2. Kelly Breault, 41, of Leominster, Mass.
3. Boonphet Sysoumang, 42, of Gardner, Mass.
4. Rafael Moreno, 38, of Leominster, Mass.
5. Andres Montemayor, 42, of Arlington, Texas
6. James Jah, 37, of South River, N.J.
7. Cesar Gonzalez, age 42, of Rancho Mirage, Calif.
8. Courtney Spaulding, 42, of Leominster, Mass.
9. Abdeem Griffin, 31, of Vallejo, Calif.
10. Rhonda Reed, of Winchendon, Mass.
11. Fong Yang, 43, of Claremore, Okla.
12. Kenneth Godfrey, 59, of Phillipston, Mass.
13. Scorpio Ramos, 41, of Fitchburg, Mass.
14. Giovan Colon, 36, of Kissimmee, Fla.
15. Gary Boucher, 46, of Shirley, Mass.
16. David Vega, 37, of Fitchburg, Mass.
17. Frederick Hrdy, 38, of Honolulu, Hawaii
18. Jose, Garcia, 36, of Chicopee, Mass.
According to the criminal charges, Pham led a narcotics trafficking enterprise in North Worcester County, Massachusetts. From there, Pham and his co-conspirators allegedly conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute large quantities of cocaine, marijuana, counterfeit pills, and other controlled substances throughout the United States, to include Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Oklahoma, California, Texas, Washington, and Hawaii.
According to court filings, Pham established and managed Infinite Painting, a local commercial and residential painting firm. Pham and his co-conspirators reportedly used Infinite Painting to launder narcotics earnings via several banking institutions while disguising the illicit source of the monies.
The narcotics conspiracy accusation carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release up to life, and a $1 million fine. The money laundering conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. A federal district court judge imposes sentences based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the legislation that governs sentence determination in criminal cases.
United States Attorney Leah Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Massachusetts State Police, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, and the Worcester, Gardner, Leominster, Fitchburg, Clinton, Lunenburg, Hopkinton, Westminster, Ashburnham, Winchendon, Templeton, Phillipston, Boylston, Sterling, and Weymouth Police Departments. Danial Bennett, Assistant US Attorney for the Worcester Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
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