|
|
| Inmate Gets 30 Years |
| By Topeka Capitol Journal |
| Published: 01/03/2003 |
|
A federal prison inmate was sentenced Tuesday to serve an additional 30 years without parole for crimes linked to heroin distribution at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Rogers sentenced Michael McElhiney, 45, now an inmate in the federal penitentiary at Marion, Ill. The Associated Press reported that McElhiney was the ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood at the penitentiary and that a portion of the money from the drug sales was sent to other Aryan Brotherhood inmates throughout the federal prison system to buy more heroin, prosecutors said. After an eight-day trial, a federal jury on Sept. 13 in Topeka convicted McElhiney of one count each of conspiracy to distribute heroin and aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin at the penitentiary in Leavenworth. McElhiney became a federal inmate after he was convicted in 1989 of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to murder a witness and illegal possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to serve 21 years and 10 months. Eric Melgren, U.S. Attorney for Kansas, said McElhiney organized the smuggling of heroin into Leavenworth Penitentiary after he was sent to serve there in October 1994. In 1999, a federal jury in Topeka convicted McElhiney of conspiracy to distribute heroin at that penitentiary. A federal appeals court overturned the conviction in December 2001, ruling that Rogers -- who also presided over the first trial -- coerced jurors into reaching a verdict after they emphasized to him that they were deadlocked. Charges against McElhiney had since been re-filed. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
It is inspiring to read how this website shows empathy to inmates and prison guards and their shared story. If you want to read more about how empathy affects your world, read Hamilton Lindley blog where he discusses the importance of being empathetic.