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Afro Dogs President Convicted of Drug Conspiracy
Buffalo, NY – In a major blow to organized crime, Dewey Taylor, 42, a/k/a Road Rash, former president of the Afro Dogs Motorcycle Club in Buffalo, has been convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Taylor’s conviction follows a five-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas S. Duszkiewicz and Eric M. Opanga, presented evidence of Taylor’s involvement in supplying cocaine to Afro Dogs National Vice-President John C. Smith, a/k/a Kazoo, between 2006 and March 2, 2011. Five months of wiretap conversations recorded on Smith’s cellular phone revealed Taylor’s role in the conspiracy. The Government also presented evidence of 14 undercover purchases of cocaine from Smith, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearms in relation to his drug trafficking in April 2013 and is awaiting sentencing.
Taylor was also convicted of seven counts of structuring financial transactions to evade currency reporting requirements. On seven separate occasions, Taylor deposited funds into personal and business accounts in the name of DT Liquors at the Erie Metro Federal Credit Union, splitting the transactions into smaller amounts to avoid reporting requirements. The individual deposits totaled more than $10,000, which requires the filing of a Currency Transaction Report with the Internal Revenue Service.
The conviction is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Brian R. Crowell, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Wayne Olson, and other law enforcement agencies.
Taylor faces a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, a $5,000,000 fine or both. He will be sentenced on September 5, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara. The jury was unable to reach a verdict as to defendant Dale Lockwood, who was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Further proceedings are scheduled for June 12, 2013 at which time a new trial date will be scheduled.
Defendants William Szymanski, Anthony Burley, and Van Miller, were acquitted of the same charge. The five defendants were arrested in March 2011 along with seven other defendants who were previously convicted of related charges.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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