Mia Armani Williams, a 22-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, received a sentence of two years' probation on April 14, 2025, in a federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska. The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard. Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen confirmed the sentencing related to Williams' case for misprision of a felony. In the federal system, there is no parole.
The incident leading to Williams' sentencing started on October 1, 2022, when two black Mercedes SUVs with Illinois plates were spotted traveling on I-80 in Seward County, Nebraska. A Nebraska State Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop on one of the vehicles, which was driven by co-defendant Jennilee Velez, with Mia Williams as her passenger. The second vehicle, driven by co-defendant Samantha Francisco with her sister Julany Rivera as a passenger, attempted to flee but was subsequently stopped by a Saline County deputy.
Williams and Francisco admitted to possessing marijuana, prompting the search of both SUVs. Authorities discovered over 16 pounds of cocaine and 393 oxycodone pills in Velez's SUV, while the second SUV held over 24 pounds of cocaine and 66 oxycodone pills. The investigation revealed that the group had traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles to pick up the drugs and were returning to Chicago when intercepted. Williams did not alert law enforcement about Velez’s activities when first contacted.
As for the others involved, Jennilee Velez was already sentenced on April 29, 2024, to 42 months' imprisonment and two years of supervised release. The cases for Francisco and Rivera are still pending.
This case involved investigations by the Nebraska State Patrol, the Seward County Sheriff’s Department, the Saline County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.