BOSTON – A Boston man previously convicted of numerous state drug distribution charges pleaded guilty today to distributing cocaine base (crack cocaine).
Jerry Cooper, a/k/a “Jerkz,” 29, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for March 9, 2023. Lee was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021.
This case arose from a series of controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Cooper, who, in September 2021, was recorded conducting a controlled purchase of crack cocaine.
The charge of distribution and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro Boston Gang Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley, Jr. of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.