First defendant pleads guilty in Erie 4-Nation gang case as other defendants open to talks (2024)

Guilty plea comes not from accused gang member, but man accused of dealing meth with accused member. Mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in play due to amount of meth — 2,407 grams, or 5.3 pounds.

The first defendant has pleaded guilty in connection with the 4-Nation gang case in U.S. District Court in Erie, and court records show that several other defendants in the sprawling prosecution are exploring negotiations or have negotiated with the government in the four months since they were indicted.

The Erie resident who pleaded guilty is one of the lesser defendants in 4-Nation case. The indictment lists the resident, 36-year-old Anthony J. Stufflebeam as 48th of the 58 defendants indicted, and he is not listed as one of the 22 defendants accused of being part of the 4-Nation gang, which the government said operated in the area of East 24th and Wallace streets in Erie.

But the indictment, issued in late May, alleges that Stufflebeam and an accused 4-Nation gang member, Darian Beasley, 31, also known as Terry Hasberry, Chewy and ChewDollaz, trafficked in methamphetamine in Erie in November 2022.

Stufflebeam was also indicted on a meth charge in a 2020 case in U.S. District Court in Erie. He is listed as the third of 16 defendants charged with being part of a meth-trafficking ring in Warren and Crawford counties from June 2018 to February 2020.

Stufflebeam pleaded guilty in both cases on Sept. 18 before U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter, who set sentencing for Feb. 27. He pleaded guilty in the 2020 case to a charge of conspiracy to traffic in meth, and he pleaded guilty in the 4-Nation case to trafficking in meth. Stufflebeam pleaded guilty to trafficking in a total of 2,407 grams of meth, which amounts to 5.3 pounds, according to the plea letter filed in his case

Baxter ordered Stufflebeam to undergo a presentencing report, but he will get a stiff sentence when he goes before the judge again. Stufflebeam is incarcerated as he awaits sentencing.

The amount of drugs involved means he is looking at a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in the 2020 case and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in the 4-Nation case, according to the plea letter. The maximum sentence in the 2020 case is life, and the maximum sentence in the 4-Nation case is 40 years.

The other defendants in the 4-Nation case also face lengthy sentences if convicted. The 22 defendants accused of being part of the gang face maximum sentences of life.

Plea negotiations have started and ended for some

Though Stufflebeam is the only defendant to have pleaded guilty, five other defendants are considering negotiating with the U.S. Attorney's Office or have already reached tentative plea deals, according to court records. Those five defendants have received permission from Baxter to undergo what are known as pre-plea presentencing reports.

The reports are designed to let defendants know what type of sentences they would face based on the nature of the offenses, their prior criminal records and other factors. One of the defendants who asked for such a report is Darian Beasley, according to court records. He is the highest-ranking of the defendants to ask for a report, and he is the only accused gang member to ask for a report.

"Counsel and the government are likely to engage in preliminary plea negotiations in this matter," Beasley's lawyer said in a motion requesting a pre-plea presentencing report. "The preparation of a pre-sentence report prior to entry of a plea or verdict would provide valuable assistance to Mr. Beasley, his counsel and to the Government in evaluation of this case."

The lawyer filed the motion on Sept. 15. Baxter granted the request the same day.

Two sets of defendants in largest-ever Erie case

The 4-Nation case is the largest-ever criminal prosecution in U.S. District Court in Erie. The case encompasses two sets of defendants.

The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges that 22 of the defendantswere members of 4-Nation. The 22 wereindictedon a count of conspiring to operate a criminal enterprise since around 2012 by dealing drugs and participating in acts of violence and other illegal activity in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known asRICO— the federal law used to dismantle organized crime, including the mob.

The 22 4-Nation defendants are also all accused of conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, cocaine or other drugs in Erie from August 2021 until the date of the indictment.

That same count also applies to the other 36 defendants, including Stufflebeam, but those 36 were not charged with the RICO count. Several defendants were indicted on other charges, including drug and weapons offenses. The government withdrew the conspiracy charge against Stufflebeam in the plea deal.

The FBI and other law enforcement agent used wiretaps to gather evidence in the 4-Nation case, according to court records. The investigators listened in on conversations on at least 17 of the cellphones of the 22 accused gang members.

The lead defendant in the entire 4-Nation case is Davante Q. Jones, 30, also known as Smoov. He was arrested in Tampa, Florida, on June 8, the date the indictment was unsealed. He had been living in Tampa, and was returned to Erie to face the federal charges. He is incarcerated.

Jones and the other defendants — except for Stufflebeam — have pleaded not guilty.

Contact Ed Palattella atepalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on X@ETNpalattella.