• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits
  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic
  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

Gay Adult Performer Chris Bines Battles 59-Month Marijuana Prison Sentence at 11th Circuit Court

Towleroad July 24, 2019 Leave a Comment

bines

Chris Bines (aka Steven Michael Sholly) was sentenced to nearly five years in prison in April 2018 for a $3.5 million marijuana trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. Bines, an actor for Falcon Studios, Men.com, and Randy Blue, was convicted in October 2017 and sentenced with four others last week. Bines was sentenced to 59 months.

Courthouse News reports that Sholly/Bines’ attorney John Anthony Terrazza is now arguing his punishment should be overturned, saying “that his client’s sentence was determined based on inadequate findings of fact.”

Argued Terrazza: “There was no large-scale seizure of drugs in this case. That left the court in a position where it had to estimate the drug quantity.”

U.S. Circuit Judge Beverly Martin replied that “the law permits judges to do that though.”

Replied Terrazza: “Yes, but the judge didn’t make specific findings about whether the evidence used to calculate the drug quantity was reliable. … Reliability is consistency and corroboration of evidence. There was neither in Sholly’s case.”

Courthouse News adds: “Terrezza said that evidence presented by the government concerning when packages of marijuana were shipped from California to Florida was limited to shipment records from FedEx and statements made by Sindylek, which were relayed to the court by a federal agent. Since Sindylek did not testify before the district court, Terrezza argued the judge in the case ‘had no opportunity to observe the witness to determine credibility.'”

From the DOJ‘s write-up of the case:

Between 2014 and 2017, the defendants conspired to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana in the Northern District of Florida.  Johnson, William Brett Brownell, Sholly, and others in the Pensacola area ordered the marijuana from Sindylek and Remeyer, who shipped packages of marijuana from California to Florida with the assistance of DelGiacco.  Johnson, William Brett Brownell, and Sholly then sold the marijuana in Florida with the assistance of Marcelonis, William Ezra Brownell, and others.  The cash proceeds of the marijuana distribution were laundered through bank accounts, and later mailed to addresses in California.  More than $3.5 million in cash proceeds from the sale of marijuana was laundered during the time frame of the conspiracy.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, the Pensacola Police Department, the Mobile Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Breeze Police Department, and the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.  Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

Topics: Actor, Entertainment, towleroad More Posts About: Chris Bines, crime, marijuana, Money Laundering

Related Posts
  • Florida Rep Responsible For ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Indicted On 6 Counts Of Fraud In Alleged COVID Relief Scheme Totaling $150K
  • Suspect Charged In Shocking, Brazen Brooklyn LGBTQ Bar Fire. Caught on Video Pouring Gasoline and Setting the Blaze
  • Well-Known Florida Marriage Plaintiff Found Dead In Landfill; Investigations Ongoing To Identify Who Killed Jorge Diaz-Johnston
  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Published by OK Magazine @jaafarjackson/instagram-jourdynn Jackson;mega Jaafar Jackson will represent his uncle’s honor in the upcoming biopic, Michael. The thrilling film — directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Oscar winner Graham Kingwill — will portray …Read More »
  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Published by Reuters By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday blocked New Jersey’s recently enacted bans on carrying guns at beaches or casinos, though she left in place other restrictions passed by the …Read More »
  • Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Published by Raw Story A Florida pastor vows to teach Black history at his church in defiance of the limits Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to place on classroom instruction. The Republican governor sparked backlash by rejecting …Read More »
  • ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

    ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

    Published by Radar Online @neneleakes/instagram; @kingbrentt/instagram Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes addressed speculation about her son Brent‘s sexuality after he sent the rumor mill into overdrive by participating in a viral TikTok challenge. RadarOnline.com …Read More »
Previous Post: « Vandals Hit Mural Featuring Gay Playwright with ‘Abomination’ Tag Outside Oklahoma LGBTQ Center
Next Post: Trump Blasts Mueller and His ‘Never Trumper Lawyer’ in Unhinged Pre-Testimony Tweetstorm »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Secrets about Catholic priest’s 1966 murder unearthed by reporters in Buffalo

    Secrets about Catholic priest’s 1966 murder unearthed by reporters in Buffalo

  • Booker says he’ll keep trying to pass weed legislation even with House Republicans in charge

    Booker says he’ll keep trying to pass weed legislation even with House Republicans in charge

  • Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition blacklisting sparks outcry

    Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition blacklisting sparks outcry

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

    Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

  • Photographer insists Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre photo isn’t fake

    Photographer insists Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre photo isn’t fake

  • Ian ‘H’ Watkins now good friends with childhood celebrity crush Jason Donovan

    Ian ‘H’ Watkins now good friends with childhood celebrity crush Jason Donovan

RSS Partner Links

  • Adam Levine & Behati Prinsloo Welcome Third Child
  • Kanye West Is The Subject Of A Battery Investigation After Snatching A Photog’s Phone, And Kim Kardashian Scolded A Pap Who Asked Her About It In Front Of Her Kids
  • Madonna’s Biopic Reportedly Cost Universal Pictures More Than $10 Million Before They Shelved It
  • Stefanik Can't Name One Program She'd Cut Except 'Woke Agenda'
  • OMG, have you heard? Troye Sivan used to post sexy photos on Instagram
  • Austin Butler & Baz Luhrmann Attend 'Elvis' Screening in Hollywood
  • Fleshback: James Franciscus — The Naked Ape

Most Recent

  • U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

    U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

  • Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

  • ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

    ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

  • Rock Hudson’s Double Life: Arranged Marriage & Secret Male Lovers — How His Inner Circle Attempted To Keep His Gay Scandal Buried

    Rock Hudson’s Double Life: Arranged Marriage & Secret Male Lovers — How His Inner Circle Attempted To Keep His Gay Scandal Buried

  • Rep. George Santos vows to cooperate with ethics probe after meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy

    Rep. George Santos vows to cooperate with ethics probe after meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy

  • Carole Baskin’s Missing Husband’s Signature On Will Declared A Forgery By Experts As ‘Tiger King’ Star Claims Ex Was Found Alive In Costa Rica: Source

    Carole Baskin’s Missing Husband’s Signature On Will Declared A Forgery By Experts As ‘Tiger King’ Star Claims Ex Was Found Alive In Costa Rica: Source

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×