Birmingham Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Manufacturing and Selling Synthetic Marijuana
BIRMINGHAM — A federal judge today sentenced a Birmingham man to five years and three months in prison for manufacturing synthetic marijuana and distributing it across the country from his apartment in Birmingham’s Southside community, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and U.S. Postal Inspector Frank Dyer.
U.S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon sentenced ROBERT JAMES PRESSLER, 28, one count of conspiracy to manufacture with intent to distribute the controlled chemical substance XLR11, or “Spice.” Pressler pleaded guilty to the charge in December. Judge Kallon ordered Pressler to forfeit $238,428 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity. Pressler must report to prison May 16.
Pressler used his apartment as a laboratory for mixing dried plants and herbs with the XLR11, and used the U.S. Postal Service to ship the synthetic marijuana across the country – cash on delivery, according to court records. He used websites, including “bobsbud” and “bobswackytobacky,” to take orders for the substance and conducted the transactions under the business name, Ninja Foot LLC, which had a Birmingham post office box.
Although Pressler’s websites noted that the product was not for human consumption, the government introduced e-mails during Wednesday’s hearing that showed he knowingly sold the Spice for smoking as synthetic marijuana.
On the websites, Pressler presented the synthetic marijuana as “herbal incense” and also advertised and sold 5FUR144 — the XLR11 controlled substance — in bulk as a “research chemical,” according to his plea agreement with the government. Prices for 5FUR144 were listed on one site in a range from $50 for five grams to more than $5,000 per kilogram.
Among mail Pressler received at his apartment in 2012 and 2013 were several large packages from China with shipping labels indicating they contained various chemicals, and some listed weights of at least three kilograms, or nearly seven pounds, according to his plea agreement. The agreement also noted that China is a known source for purchase of chemicals used in the production of synthetic marijuana.
Postal inspectors found COD records for Pressler and Ninja Foot between December 2012 and June 2013 that totaled more than $100,000, according to court records.
A second Birmingham man, Seth Alexander Batten, 30, also pleaded guilty in December to the conspiracy to manufacture and distribute XLR11. Batten worked with Pressler to manufacture and ship synthetic marijuana, according to Pressler’s plea agreement. Batten is scheduled for sentencing April 23.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board’s state narcotics team, and the Birmingham Police Department, investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Felton is prosecuting.
Former Childersburg City Councilwoman Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
BIRMINGHAM — A federal judge has sentenced a former Childersburg City Councilwoman to nearly three years in prison for bank fraud and laundering nearly $1 million from SouthFirst Bank, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Craig Caldwell, and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot.
U.S. District Judge Inge P. Johnson sentenced Bonny Jean Carter, 61, to two years and nine months in prison and ordered her to repay $37,200 to SouthFirst Bank, and $949,287 to its insurance company, Zurich Financial and Security. Carter pleaded guilty in December to one count each of bank fraud and money laundering. She is to report to prison May 13.
“This defendant used her position of trust with the bank she worked for to steal nearly $1 million from the bank over 10 years,” Vance said. “Stealing from a financial institution will not go unpunished, and the prison sentence Ms. Carter received today is justice finally being served.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation, along with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously pursue corporate officers who violate the public trust,” Hyman-Pillot said. “We are committed to investigating complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the true source of their money. This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who might contemplate similar fraudulent actions.”
Carter had worked as an account clerk at the Sylacauga branch of SouthFirst Bank. In that position, between June 2004 and March 2013, she embezzled from the bank by converting money to personal savings accounts. Carter recorded journal entries to transfer money from various SouthFirst Bank general ledger accounts into personal accounts held in her daughter’s name. She also skimmed amounts from checks made payable to SouthFirst Bank by depositing the funds into those personal accounts. Additionally, Carter issued debit transactions from SouthFirst Bank’s operating expense account to pay personal debts she owed.
The U.S. Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Beardsley Mark prosecuted.
