BOSTON — A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and laundering drug proceeds in connection with a scheme involving co-conspirators in Massachusetts and Virginia. Kenneth J. Owen, 24, of Charlotte Court House, Va., entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Boston. Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Dec. 10, 2024.
Owen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA and buprenorphine, and two counts of money laundering conspiracy. The charges stem from a scheme to smuggle drugs into Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, Va., where Owen worked as a correctional officer.
According to court documents, between December 2019 and January 2020, Owen conspired with Sathtra Em, a resident of Lowell, Mass., and Michael Mao, an inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center, to smuggle MDMA and buprenorphine into the prison. Em mailed the drugs to Owen’s residence, paying him $1,600 in bribes to deliver the contraband to Mao. Once the drugs were inside the prison, Mao sold them to other inmates, while Em collected the proceeds through Cash App, the same platform used to pay Owen for his role in the scheme.
Owen used a Cash App account under the name “Carlos” to receive bribe payments from Em, quickly transferring the funds to his bank account after each transaction. Both Em and Mao have already pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Em was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Aug. 14, 2024, while Mao is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2024.
The charges against Owen carry significant penalties. The 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 of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. The money laundering conspiracy charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered. Both charges include the forfeiture of any assets tied to the offenses. Sentencing will be determined according to federal guidelines and statutes.