New York man Michael J. Foreste, also known as ‘Beast,’ has been sentenced to 110 months in federal prison for selling oxycodone and laundering money in Vermont over a six-year period.
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on May 22, 2017, Judge William K. Sessions III presided over Foreste’s sentencing hearing in Burlington. The defendant was convicted at trial on ten charges related to his oxycodone trafficking activities.
Foreste, aged 36 from Valley Stream, New York, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute oxycodone in Vermont from approximately 2008 through June 2014. He also faced charges for distributing the drug seven times and money laundering twice. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on an additional count of oxycodone distribution.
Andre Clarke, Carol Clarke, and Dannis Hackney were also involved in the scheme. Andre Clarke, who was a New York City police officer at the time, has already pleaded guilty to his role and resigned from the NYPD. Carol Clarke awaits trial on conspiracy charges, while Hackney is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty earlier this year.
Carol Clarke received monthly prescriptions for hundreds of oxycodone pills to treat her sickle cell disease, which she then diverted to Andre Clarke. Foreste initially transported the pills himself but later began mailing them through the U.S. Mail Express system. The evidence presented at trial indicated that Foreste’s drug distribution in Vermont yielded over $500,000 in illicit profits.
The investigation and prosecution were a result of a multi-agency collaboration involving Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, DEA, Vermont State Police, Burlington Police Department, and the NYPD. Foreste is represented by Mark Kaplan and Natasha Sen, with Assistant United States Attorneys Christina E. Nolan and Kevin J. Doyle prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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