Alvin Briggs Charged

Alvin Stanley Briggs, Jr., age 50, from Dubuque, Iowa, has been charged with one count of distribution of heroin resulting in death and four counts of distribution of heroin near a school and a playground.

The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed today in the United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. The Indictment alleges that, on or about July 3, 2012, Briggs distributed heroin to an individual identified as S.R., and that S.R.’s death resulted from use of the heroin.

The Indictment also charges that on four different days in January and February 2013, Briggs distributed heroin within 1,000 feet of Prescott Elementary School and Jackson Park in Dubuque. This is a serious offense, and Briggs faces severe penalties if convicted.

If convicted on all charges, Briggs faces a possible mandatory minimum sentence of 24 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $9,000,000 fine, $500 in special assessments, and up to a lifetime term of supervised release following imprisonment. These penalties reflect the severity of the crimes with which Briggs has been charged.

Briggs appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Briggs’s next appearance, for a detention hearing, is set for Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at 4:30 p.m. The court will determine whether Briggs will be released on bond or held in custody pending trial.

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The case against Briggs will proceed through the court system, with the prosecution presenting its evidence and Briggs’s defense team responding. The outcome of the case will depend on the evidence presented and the arguments made by both sides.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham and was investigated by the Platteville, Wisconsin, Police Department, and the Dubuque, Iowa, Drug Task Force. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 2:13-CR-01004-LRR. This information can be used by the public to follow the progress of the case and learn more about the charges against Briggs.