United States Drug Enforcement Administration

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - On September 17, 2012, John Arnold, 25, of East St. Louis, Illinois, pled guilty to a single count Indictment charging him with Possession With the Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine, the Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Arnold, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 20, 2012, faces a potential maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release of at least three years, and a $1million fine. Arnold is currently scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2013.

According to a stipulation of facts submitted to the Court at the time of the plea, Arnold was arrested by the East St. Louis Police Department on April 5, 2012, at approximately 3:00 p.m. following a traffic violation. Arnold was placed under arrest after a computer check revealed that his driver’s license was revoked. The Defendant was patted down before the arrest and two baggies containing 7.3 grams of crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana were located in Arnold’s
underwear. Arnold later admitted that he intended to sell the crack cocaine.

Evidence in support of the indictment was obtained in an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the East St. Louis Police Department. This case has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Randy G. Massey for prosecution.