SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Damione Brock, 42, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter to spend 292 months (24 years, 4 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for drug conspiracy. Other co-defendants have also been sentenced to either conspiracy or other drug trafficking charges in connection with this case.

Brock was convicted of the charge by a federal jury after a two-day trial in April 2021. Evidence presented at the trial showed the jury that agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began an investigation in 2018 into drug trafficking activities in the Plain Dealing and Springhill areas of Louisiana. During their investigation, agents sought approval to use wiretaps and were able to intercept phone calls and text messages between Brock and Hogan wherein they discussed having methamphetamine delivered to Brock while he was a prisoner at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola (“Angola”). Brock, who was serving a lengthy sentence in Angola for possession of cocaine, was using a contraband cell phone to communicate with Hogan. Brock had arranged for the methamphetamine to be brought to him in Angola, using a courier and Keisarah McGee, a female who worked at the prison as a corrections officer.

DEA agents observed the transportation of the methamphetamine, which was hidden in fake soda cans driven from Bossier City to Alexandria by one of Brock’s couriers. The courier, Marvin Beck, put the package into McGee’s vehicle, who then took possession of the methamphetamine hidden in fake soda cans with the plan to transfer them to Angola when reporting for work. DEA agents alerted Louisiana Department of Corrections investigators to expect the female officer to try and enter the facility with the hidden narcotics. Investigators were able to stop her vehicle at the front gate of Angola and seized the methamphetamine prior to her entry into the facility.

In addition, agents uncovered a separate conspiracy involving Hogan to distribute cocaine in the Springhill, Louisiana, and Arkansas areas. Between October and December 2018, Hogan conspired with Steven Dewayne Gilbert, Patrick Clayton, and Kagan Weaver to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Agents with the DEA were able to intercept numerous phone calls between these defendants wherein they discussed the distribution of cocaine and the conversion of powder cocaine to crack cocaine. On December 18, 2018, Clayton was found to have individually wrapped baggies of cocaine packaged for street level distribution.

Law enforcement agents received additional information that Weaver was intending to purchase cocaine from Gilbert to distribute to individuals in Arkansas. On December 14, 2018, agents observed Weaver arrive in Springhill and meet with Gilbert. They both traveled to a residence in Plain Dealing that belonged to Hogan where cocaine was purchased from Hogan. Weaver then drove to Arkansas where he was stopped by law enforcement and found to have the cocaine in his possession. An analysis of the narcotics seized from these defendants was conducted by the DEA Laboratory and confirmed to be cocaine.

“Some of the defendants convicted in this case, which are from the Western District of Louisiana, used the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola to facilitate this conspiracy. This office will continue to aggressively prosecute repeat drug traffickers who have no regard or respect for the law. Further, state correctional officers are held to a high standard and are entrusted to ensuring that order is maintained in state prisons, not to assist prisoners in committing other crimes.”

All of the co-defendants in this case have been sentenced and their names, convictions and information are as follows:

Steven Dewayne Gilbert, 39, of Springhill, Louisiana, was sentenced June 19, 2020 to 188 months (15 years, 8 months) in prison, followed by 6 years of supervised release;

Roderick Dewaine Hogan, 40, of Plain Dealing, Louisiana, was sentenced April 23, 2021 to 200 months (16 years, 8 months) in prison, followed by 5 years supervised release;

Keisarah McGee, 30, of Woodville, Mississippi, was sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by 2 years supervised release;

Kagan Weaver, 24, of Waldo, Arkansas, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by 3 years supervised release;

Marvin Beck, 45, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 4 years supervised probation; and

Patrick Clayton, 44, of Springhill, Louisiana, was sentenced to 1 day in prison, with credit for time served, followed by 3 years supervised release.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.