United States Drug Enforcement Administration

RUTLAND, Vt. - Michael J. Ferguson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Chief Judge Christina Reiss, of the United States District Court, sentenced Joshua (a.k.a. “Face”), 38, of Rutland, Vermont to 87 months imprisonment for conspiring to distribute heroin in the Rutland area and possessing a firearm while unlawfully using controlled substances. Court records indicate that his sentencing was also based on his distribution of Oxycontin pills and cocaine powder. In addition, Judge Reiss sentenced Minix to five years supervised release, to be served after he completes his jail sentence. She also recommended to the Bureau of Prisons that Minix participate in the 500-hour substance abuse program for federal inmates.

Minix previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin in the Rutland area in 2013 and unlawful possession of a firearm by a drug user. The Pre-Sentence Report found that Minix was involved in distributing at least 380 grams of heroin, 18,000 (30 mg) pills, and 45 grams of crack cocaine. The defendant distributed drugs while living on Park Avenue in Rutland City. Judge Reiss recently sentenced Terrence Chenault, another Park Avenue resident, to 87 months in prison for distributing heroin and cocaine base. Minix received enhancements to his guideline range for obstructing justice, possessing firearms, and armed robberies of other drug dealers. The Court found that the Minix had obstructed justice by drafting two false affidavits for two witnesses to his unlawful possession of a firearm in an attempt to get their subpoenas to the grand jury quashed.

The government stated in its sentencing memorandum that “heroin and other opiates are wreaking havoc in Rutland and many other Vermont communities” and “a strong message from the Court needs to be continually sent to narcotic dealers that spreading their poison in the community will result in a lengthy jail sentence.” The government stated that a significant sentence was also warranted here to protect the community from the defendant because the defendant had shown that he returns to drug dealing whenever he is released from jail. This case was jointly investigated by the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Vermont Drug Task Force; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.