Charlotte Man Pleads Guilty To Perjury Charge For Lying Under Oath During Trial
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Jucorey Deonte Pruitt, aka Corey Deonte Pruitt, 25, of Charlotte, appeared in court Aug. 9, and pleaded guilty to a perjury charge for lying under oath during a federal trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer presided over Pruitt’s plea hearing.
The Aug. 9 plea was announced jointly by Daniel R. Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Salter oversees the Charlotte District Office. Other law enforcement officials involved in the case include Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department; Chief J. Bryan Gilliard of the Monroe Police Department; and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents and statements, Pruitt committed perjury during his testimony at the criminal trial of DeMorius Lamar Anderson who was tried on multiple federal charges including drug conspiracy, Hobbs Act Robbery and firearm violations. According to court records, Pruitt was a witness for the government and had agreed to testify regarding his knowledge of Anderson’s involvement in the drug conspiracy and provide other material information against Anderson.
During the Aug. 9, 2012 Anderson trial, Pruitt while under oath, attempted to aid Anderson by denying knowledge of Anderson’s participation in the drug conspiracy. Pruitt’s sworn assertions were contradictory to prior statements he had made to law enforcement. During his testimony, Pruitt stated that he had previously lied to law enforcement regarding Anderson’s criminal activity, including his role in the drug conspiracy. Court records indicate that later that same evening, on jailhouse recordings, Pruitt admitted he lied to federal agents at trial. Anderson was eventually convicted by a jury and sentenced to more than 37 years in prison.
“Pruitt chose to lie on the witness stand to protect one of his criminal associates.” said U.S. Attorney Rose. “Despite Pruitt’s false testimony, the defendant was convicted by a jury and is serving a lengthy prison term. Now it’s Pruitt’s turn to sit in the defendant’s chair for lying under oath.”
“Perjury tarnishes our justice system and jeopardizes the integrity of judicial proceedings,” Rose added. “Liars do not belong in the courtroom."
Pruitt is currently in federal custody. The perjury charge carries a maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, Monroe Police Department and the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sanjeev Bhasker of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte served as the lead prosecutor in the case.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com , www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
