Bean Town Times

A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances and launder drug proceeds with co-conspirators in Massachusetts and Virginia.

Kenneth J. Owen, 24, of Charlotte Court House, Va., admitted guilt to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA and buprenorphine, as well as two counts of money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Dec. 10, 2024.

In December 2019 and January 2020, Owen conspired with Sathtra Em, a Lowell resident, and Michael Mao, an inmate at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, Va., to smuggle MDMA and buprenorphine in the form of Suboxone and generic Suboxone sublingual films into the prison. At that time, Owen was employed as a correctional officer at Buckingham.

As part of the conspiracy, Em mailed drugs to Owen’s residence and paid him $1,600 in bribes to deliver the drugs and other contraband to Mao in prison. Mao then sold the smuggled drugs to other inmates at Buckingham while Em collected drug debts on behalf of Mao using Cash App accounts also used for paying bribes to Owen. Owen used a Cash App account under the name “Carlos” to receive bribes from Em and cashed out the funds within minutes of receiving them.

Em and Mao have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy. On Aug. 14, 2024, Em was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Mao is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 18, 2024.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA and buprenorphine carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years up to life supervised release, and a fine up to $1 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for up to 20 years in prison, three years supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved—whichever is greater. Both charges include forfeiture of assets traceable or involved in these offenses. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), and Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC). Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak III from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Amhrein from the Asset Forfeiture Unit are prosecuting this case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at identifying, disrupting, and dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a prosecutor-led multi-agency approach.