Four Men Indicted For Trafficking Oxycodone And Money Laundering, 37 Guns Seized
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against Michael Deshone Mathews, 42, of Elk Grove; Earshell Hayes, 49, of Puyallup, Washington; Leon Currie Fields, Jr., 43, of Sacramento; and David William Dixon, 36, of Acampo, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce Balzano announced.
Mathews, Hayes and Fields are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, while Mathews, Hayes and Dixon are charged with money laundering related to the trafficking of oxycodone. Mathews is also charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a short-barrel rifle.
According to court documents, Mathews, Hayes and Fields engaged in a scheme to procure oxycodone in the Sacramento area and then transport it to Washington state for sale. Hayes is accused of depositing cash in $4,000 to $6,000 quantities into accounts controlled by Mathews and Dixon to pay for the drugs.
Agents executed search warrants on locations controlled by Mathews. In a storage locker accessed by Mathews, agents found approximately 382 grams of methamphetamine, over 8,000 prescription pills of various types, 37 (including a short-barrel rifle), and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Agents also found 242 grams of a substance believed to be tar heroin in a truck driven by Mathews.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sacramento County Probation Department, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the California Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Service, the Elk Grove Police Department, the California Department of Health Care
Services, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Paul Hemesath is prosecuting the case.
United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said, “Prescription drug abuse claims thousands of lives every year. The federal government will pursue and prosecute those who seek to make a profit on the addiction and death that result from illicit oxycodone trafficking.”
DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce Balzano stated, “This drug trafficking organization’s distribution pipeline has been successfully shut down. This was accomplished through excellent collaboration between a multitude of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in California and Washington.”
Mathews is currently in federal custody. Dixon has been released on bond. Hayes and Fields are currently out of custody, subject to electronic monitoring.
If convicted the defendants face the following penalties: Mathews faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and an $8 million fine. Fields, Hayes and Dixon face 20‑year maximum sentences. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
