William E. Sykes, Jr. and Dionte Marquell Brown, Heroin Distribution, Illinois 2022

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – In a move to combat the scourge of heroin in the community, two men, William E. Sykes, Jr., 54, and Dionte Marquell Brown, 25, both of Silvis, Illinois, have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Sykes, who had been convicted of distribution of heroin and conspiring to distribute heroin, was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Brown, who was convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

According to court documents, Sykes and Brown, along with Brown’s sister, Mary Ann Brown, dealt heroin from an apartment they shared in Silvis. When law enforcement executed a search warrant on the apartment, they found heroin, plastic baggies, and a digital scale. Court documents further showed that heroin distributed by Sykes and Brown caused the death of a Silvis woman in September 2019.

At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow emphasized the tragic consequences of Sykes and Brown’s crimes, the need for their sentences to deter others from engaging in similar conduct, and the hope that such deterrence would prevent other families from going through the pain of losing a loved one. Judge Darrow also ordered that the men pay $10,360 in restitution (joint and several) to the family of the overdose victim.

Both Sykes and Brown had pleaded guilty in August 2021. Sykes faced statutory penalties of up to forty years in prison for distribution of heroin and conspiring to distribute heroin. Brown faced up to twenty years in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin.

This case highlights the danger posed to communities when drug dealers recklessly push illegal substances without regard for the deadly consequences. The Silvis Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant Thomas Hodges and Kate Legge represented the government in the prosecution.

The sentencing of Sykes and Brown marks a significant victory for law enforcement in the fight against heroin trafficking in Illinois. With this sentencing, two more drug dealers have been effectively stopped from spreading dangerous narcotics into Illinois communities.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/two-men-sentenced-prison-heroin-distribution