Daniel Robert, 48, of Houston, Texas, will serve the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of running a large cocaine distribution network. The enterprise was revealed to have transported more than 325 kg of cocaine into southern Illinois. According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office, the life sentence was imposed following an eight-day trial in which a jury assessed the evidence presented and found Robert guilty of many offenses.
The plethora of charges against Robert includes not only drug trafficking but also seeking to completely obstruct justice. During the trial, he attempted to unduly influence a witness. The evidence indicated Robert’s role in hiring and employing couriers, a scam that ran from January 2014 to August 2018. According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office, his activities included conspiracies to launder money and obstruct justice, as well as witness tampering and attempted witness tampering.
Along with Robert, several other people were caught in the wide net of this case. Jeffrey Taylor, Daniel Matthew, Stephanie Reynolds, Simbiat Soetan, Lloyd Parker, Michael Martin, Shataya Moore, Shermiya Reynolds-Ray, Talishia Shannon, and Lendarious Hayes all pleaded guilty to a variety of cocaine and meth distribution offenses, as well as money laundering. This group of defendants, linked solely by their positions in the distribution chain, demonstrates the trafficking operation’s broad reach.
The United States Attorney’s Office also confirmed the seizure of luxury assets as part of the investigation, including a black Mercedes and a silver Chevrolet pickup utilized in the scheme. The seasoned hands of the DEA St. Louis and IRS Criminal Investigation led the investigation efforts, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Dean and Amanda Fischer stepping in to prosecute the complex case.
