A Raleigh man has been sentenced to 152 months in prison following his guilty plea to charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Cory Sean Heard, 47, entered his guilty plea on September 16, 2024, and November 4, 2024.
Court documents and other information presented in court detail that on February 8, 2021, the Raleigh Police Department conducted a routine traffic stop on Heard. During the search of his vehicle, officers discovered a 9mm pistol, heroin, and a digital scale. Further investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that between 2019 and 2021, Heard distributed over 100 grams of heroin.
The FBI's investigation into Heard's drug activities also uncovered that he had submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application along with an IRS Form Schedule C for a fictitious business in March 2020. This fraudulent application resulted in Heard receiving a cash advance. Additional findings showed he received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds for an alleged car washing business. As part of the case resolution, Heard was ordered to pay $140,000 in restitution to the Small Business Administration.
The announcement was made by Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II delivered the sentence. The Raleigh Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation while Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Labresh prosecuted the case.
Further details regarding related court documents can be accessed through the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or via PACER using Case Nos. 5:21-CR-178-M and 5:23-CR-388-M.