A former Rochester, New York, man serving time for dealing heroin in Augusta was sentenced Wednesday to 23 months in prison on federal drug conspiracy charges.
Alex Lamar Brumfield, 31, also known as “Izzo” and “Bob,” had pleaded guilty Nov. 8, 2017, in U.S. District Court in Bangor to the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base.
He is currently serving 30 months at the Maine State Prison for unlawful trafficking, and his release date there is Nov. 30, according to the state Department of Corrections website.
The federal sentence, which is to be followed by three years of supervised release, was ordered to run concurrently with the state sentence.
Brumfield was living in Augusta when the unlawful trafficking and unlawful possession offenses occurred.
Complaints filed at the Capital Judicial Center alleged that Brumfield was dealing drugs from a Washington Street apartment, where a confidential informant with a recording device bought cocaine and heroin from him in September 2016. They also say Brumfield sold heroin on Nov. 3, 2016, from a North Street apartment, also in Augusta. Some court documents list a Windsor address for Brumfield as well.
He has been in state custody since being arrested Nov. 9, 2016, in Augusta. At that point, investigators reported seizing illegal drugs and a firearm.
Brumfield is one of 16 co-defendants charged federally with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base June 14, 2015, and March 9, 2017, brought from Rochester, New York, to sell in central Maine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel B. Casey wrote in the prosecution’s version of events that Brumfield “was one of many dealers from Rochester sent to Maine to sell drugs.”
Casey also said, “As part of his role in the conspiracy, (Brumfield) would stay in the residences of other co-conspirators for extended periods of time and sell drugs. He would collect proceeds from the sale of the drugs and hold them until another conspirator collected the proceeds and arranged for them to be sent back to Rochester.”
Most of the defendants in the case have entered guilty pleas and several others have been sentenced.
The federal sentencing hearing for Brumfield had started April 19 but was halted after Brumfield spoke, according to a defense memo, “when the government and court expressed concerns that some of Mr. Brumfield’s statements put his acceptance of responsibility in jeopardy.”
The defense sentencing memo, filed by attorney James Hewes, cites a presentencing investigative report saying that Brumfield might be entitled to a somewhat lower sentence because of his “substance abuse history, his exposure to the drug culture both inside his home and community, his lack of any prior criminal history, and his extensive amount of prosocial family support.”
Hewes wrote that “Alex was a worker and not a leader in the conspiracy.” Hewes also asked that Brumfield’s federal sentence run concurrently with the state sentence.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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