Steven D. Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois announced Friday that Danny Lee DeShane, 45, of Centralia, Illinois, entered a plea of guilty to an indictment charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Distribution of Methamphetamine and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Court documents establish that an FBI Task Force investigated DeShane’s narcotics trafficking activities in the Centralia area for several months leading up to his arrest in September 2019. Court documents further establish that DeShane distributed and possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine from a Centralia residence on South Elm and other locations in the Centralia area from March 12, 2018 until April 24, 2019.
Also charged with conspiracy with DeShane were Cloyd “Rick” Culver and Curtis Phelps. Culver was also charged with Maintaining a Drug Involved Premises. Charges remain pending against Culver and Phelps with a trial in United States District Court set for January 27, 2020. An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The conspiracy charge against DeShane carries a penalty of not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment and not less than 5 years’ supervised release. The remaining charges against DeShane carry a penalty of up to 20 years’ imprisonment and not less than 3 years’ supervised release. Supervised release follows completion of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal judicial system. Sentencing for DeShane has been set for March 31, 2020. DeShane has been in custody since his arrest in September 2019.
Law enforcement agencies participating on the FBI Task Force include the Marion, Clinton, Washington, and Bond County Sheriffs’ Offices and the Carlyle Police Department. The Centralia Police Department also assisted in the investigation of this case.
