9 sentenced in multistate tobacco ring
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NASHVILLE (AP) -- Prosecutors say nine people have been sentenced in a black-market tobacco ring in Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and North Carolina involving more than $4.5 million.
The U.S. attorney's office in Nashville said in a statement Wednesday that the last defendant, Ronald D. Bowen of Ayden, N.C., was sentenced to 51 months in prison by a federal judge. He and co-defendant Christopher L. Sutton were found guilty of conspiring to transfer more than $4.5 million in cash to avoid federal reporting requirements. Sutton, who owned two tobacco companies in North Carolina, was sentenced on Nov. 12 to 60 months in prison.
According to the indictment, other defendants in the case participated in the sale of thousands of pounds of excess burley tobacco that was in violation of the USDA's tobacco allotment program. The remaining seven defendants pleaded guilty and were given jail time or probation and ordered to forfeit money.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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