HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Saqueena Williams, a/k/a “Queenie,” age 46, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 27, 2022, to 20 years’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for cocaine trafficking and weapons offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, in November 2021, a jury convicted Williams of drug trafficking and possessing guns in furtherance of drug trafficking. On February 1, 2018, law enforcement officers seized drugs and guns during a court authorized search of her home and other properties associated with Williams and her coconspirator, Nyree Letterlough, age 51, of Harrisburg.
Williams, the operator of Queenies Café, was convicted after a week-long jury trial of running a drug trafficking conspiracy from 2012 to 2018. The jury found that Williams trafficked in excess of five kilograms of cocaine, and that she possessed guns in furtherance of her drug trafficking operation.
Williams also surrendered her interests in Queenies Café, located in Harrisburg, as well as the liquor license and other properties.
Her coconspirator, Letterlough was also convicted at the above referenced trial and was sentenced on August 29, 2022, to 111 months’ imprisonment. Letterlough surrendered her interests in Grams Grill, located in Harrisburg, and another real estate property.
At Williams’ sentencing, Judge Conner resolved issues pertaining to the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines after hearing argument from the parties. The sentence of 20 years in prison imposed by Judge Conner was within the sentencing guideline range and the applicable mandatory minimum sentence required by law.
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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Harrisburg Police Bureau, and numerous other law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Consiglio and Samuel Dalke prosecuted the case.
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