New York man sentenced on drug conspiracy charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. — An upstate New York man who was convicted of possession and distribution of a controlled substance was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release. The sentence is the result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Vivian James, 49, of Buffalo, N.Y., was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William M. Skretny.

According to court documents, the defendant was one of 15 defendants arrested in June 2009 for distributing Ecstasy pills – imported from Canada – in Buffalo and beyond. James is the 14th defendant to be sentenced.

Charges are still pending against the remaining defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Catherine Baumgarten prosecuted this case on behalf of the U.S. government.