United States Drug Enforcement Administration

RALEIGH, N.C. - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that Tavaris Delino Battle, 30, of Elm City, Tony Marichal Sharp, 31, of Sharpsburg, Byron Dale Whitaker, 23, of Sharpsburg, Gregory Devonte Robertson, 20, of Rocky Mount, Natalie Baker Lynch, 33, of Roanoke Rapids, Tremayne A. Lynch, 35, of Rocky Mount, Tangi Sonyette Williams, 37, of Rocky Mount, Robert Mack Richardson, 33 of Enfield, Mathew Lee Leak, 32, of Sharpsburg, Andrew Leonard Leak, 30, of Rocky Mount, Jerold Jerald Mason, 30, of Sharpsburg, Shameka Johnese Winn, 28, of Wilson and Roy Latron Richardson, 23, of Nashville were each sentenced resulting from their earlier guilty pleas to distributing large quantities of cocaine and cocaine (crack). The charges involved a large scale narcotics ring responsible for selling kilos of crack from around May 2011 to on or about July 16, 2013 in the Sharpsburg area.
      
        Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, Wayne L. Dixie, Jr. stated, “This case is another example of ATF’s commitment to ensure the public’s safety by removing drug traffickers and violent individuals from our communities. These results could not have occurred without the outstanding partnerships that we have with our law enforcement (USAO; Drug Enforcement Administration, Rocky Mount Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office).”

        All 13 defendants were sentenced by Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III. Battle was sentenced to life imprisonment. Sharp was sentenced to 480 months imprisonment; Whitaker was sentenced to 480 months imprisonment; Robertson was sentenced to 262 months imprisonment; Natalie Lynch was sentenced to 132 months imprisonment; Tremayne Lynch was sentenced to 450 months; Williams was sentenced to 90 months; Robert Richardson was sentenced to 75 months imprisonment; Matthew Leak was sentenced to 156 months imprisonment; Andrew Leak was sentenced to 132 months imprisonment; Mason was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment; Winn was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment; and Roy Richardson was sentenced to 102 months imprisonment.

        According to the investigation, Battle was the leader of this narcotics distribution organization. Sharp helped plan a brutal home invasion and was instrumental in the group selling kilos of crack cocaine.

        During the violent home invasion Whitaker and Treymayne Lynch were searching for drugs and money that resulted in a brutal rape of young mother while her small child watched. Lynch also shot the mother’s boyfriend, the father of the child, during the home invasion twice. Robertson participated in the home invasion by beating the already shot and bound boyfriend.
        In addition to the home invasion, Treymayne Lynch was involved with three other exceedingly violent incidents. In two of them he walked up and started shooting at competitors and in the third he kidnapped someone who owed the group money and held him hostage for a couple of days repeatedly strangling the victim into unconsciousness, tying him to a tree and shooting a gun in front of him, beating him, and threatening to have Whitaker burn his groin with heated keys.

        Williams drove the home invasion crew to the victim’s house knowing they were going in armed and with masks to commit robbery. After the robbery, she drove the group to a hotel room and located someone to sell Tremayne Lynch a gun. She also drove Lynch to Washington, D.C. to avoid arrest.

        Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rocky Mount Police Department, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney John Bowler is handling the prosecution for the government.

         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.