WASHINGTON – Marcel Vines, 28, a convicted kidnapper and killer already facing a life sentence, has been slapped with an additional 46 months in federal prison. The charge? Conspiring to smuggle a deadly cocktail of contraband – a knife, fentanyl, and cell phones – into the Central Detention Facility while awaiting trial for the brutal murders of two people. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the sentence today, a grim reminder that even behind bars, some criminals keep scheming.
Vines, a known member of the violent Clay Terrace Crew, pleaded guilty on July 29, 2025, to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States – specifically, possession of contraband in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly didn’t show leniency, ordering the 46-month sentence to run consecutively with Vines’ existing life term. This means more years locked away for a man who already demonstrated a callous disregard for human life.
The original crimes are particularly gruesome. On August 19, 2024, a federal jury found Vines guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Kerrice Lewis and Armani Coles. Both victims were abducted at gunpoint, forced into vehicles, driven around the city, and then executed. In the case of Armani Coles, she endured over 90 minutes trapped in a car trunk before Vines and his accomplice, Malique Lewis, 27, opened the trunk, shot her repeatedly, and set the vehicle ablaze with her inside. On March 7, 2025, both Vines and Lewis received life plus 60 years for those horrific acts.
Court documents reveal the jailhouse smuggling operation began as early as February 2024. Vines and other Clay Terrace detainees, working together, sought to arm themselves and maintain communication with the outside world. They allegedly recruited two correctional officers to help deliver the contraband. Two searches by the D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) Office of Investigative Services uncovered a disturbing haul. On February 28, 2024, officers found a switchblade, an iPhone, marijuana, tobacco, rolling papers, gambling dice, and synthetic cannabinoids. A subsequent search on July 25, 2024, yielded 269 fentanyl pills (including 120 in Vines’ cell), 60 soaked-in-unknown-liquid cigarettes (40 in Vines’ cell), 255 suboxone strips (170 in Vines’ cell), and three cell phones.
The investigation was a joint effort between the DOC Office of Investigative Services, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI Washington Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Gold and Sarah Santiago led the prosecution. The recovery of this contraband underscores the constant battle corrections officials face in keeping dangerous items out of the hands of inmates like Vines, who clearly have no intention of reforming.
Director Tom Faust of the D.C. Department of Corrections, FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined in announcing Vines’ additional sentence. While this latest conviction adds to Vines’ already extensive punishment, it serves as a warning: even behind bars, criminal activity will be met with swift and decisive justice. Case number 24cr0520.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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