Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Nathaniel Donnell Carter, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Judge Russell sentenced Carter’s wife, Raymia Sophia Carroll, also age 37, of Baltimore, to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crack cocaine distribution conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to their guilty pleas, on November 12, 2019, the DEA and the Baltimore County Police Department conducted surveillance on Carter’s and Carroll’s family home in connection with an investigation into their drug trafficking activities. Law enforcement saw Carter leave the house with a bulge in the front pocket of his hooded jacket and drive away. Carter was seen fidgeting in the car and continued to reach behind and under the front passenger seat. Baltimore County Police conducted a traffic stop. After being read his Miranda rights, which he acknowledged, Carter gave consent for officers to search his vehicle, telling them “it would be under the seat.” Law enforcement recovered a .45-caliber handgun from the center console of the vehicle and a large black bag containing 1,012.3 grams of crack cocaine from under the front passenger seat.
Law enforcement traveled to a Baltimore County elementary school to conduct surveillance on Carroll and saw her car. A K9 scan of the vehicle alerted positive for drugs. Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered approximately 385.242 grams of crack cocaine and packaging materials.
A subsequent search of the family home recovered 72.9 grams of crack cocaine, packaging materials, and 22.5 grams of suspected marijuana.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joan C. Mathias and Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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