A Chicago man, Maurice Levelle Randolph, has been sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy that led to the death of a young woman in Dubuque, Iowa. Randolph, aged 45, pleaded guilty on December 5, 2024, to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine near parks and schools in Dubuque from 2017 to April 2021. This conspiracy resulted in the woman's death on February 14, 2021.
During his plea hearing, Randolph admitted to being part of a network distributing cocaine sourced from Chicago into Dubuque. He confessed that on February 14, 2021, one of his co-conspirators provided cocaine to a young woman who subsequently died after using it at home.
The sentencing took place in Cedar Rapids under United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Randolph received a sentence of 292 months' imprisonment and was ordered to pay $13,911 in restitution jointly with two other individuals to the victim's family. Following his prison term, he will undergo an eight-year supervised release period. The court also seized $17,203 as drug proceeds from Randolph. Federal sentencing does not include parole.
Currently held by the United States Marshal’s custody pending transport to a federal prison facility, Randolph's case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Nicole Nagin. It was investigated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program by various agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dubuque Drug Task Force among others.
The OCDETF aims to identify and dismantle significant criminal organizations threatening U.S. security through coordinated efforts across multiple agencies.