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Curtis Malone, who was once nationally recognized for his success with area Amateur Athletic Union basketball program DC Assault, was sentenced to 100 months in prison today for his role in a network that distributed large amounts of cocaine and heroin in the D.C. area.
Malone was arrested in August as part of a year-long Drug Enforcement Agency investigation. He had previously been convicted for distributing crack cocaine in 1991, but was thought to have ceased any criminal activity long ago. DC Assault had produced NBA stars like Jeff Green and Michael Beasley, and Malone became known as a go-to-guy between the team’s players and the college basketball programs that were trying to recruit them.
He ultimately pleaded guilty in March to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Curtis Malone had the opportunity to be a positive role model for young people, but with today’s prison sentence, he becomes a cautionary tale,” U.S. Attorney Ron Machen said in a release after the sentencing. “The lesson is simple: peddling drugs and toting guns will put you behind bars. We hope that young people who see Malone’s fate will steer clear of the lifestyle that led to his downfall.”
Three other people have pleaded guilty in connection to the case, as well. Clarence Redd was sentenced to 90 months in prison for a charge of distributing heroin. Two other men are awaiting sentencing, and another defendant is a fugitive.
Malone, according to the Department of Justice, conspired with the other men between August 2012 and August 2013 to distribute cocaine and heroin in D.C. He admitted that he was responsible for at least five kilograms of cocaine and at least 100 grams of heroin.
The DEA found a loaded handgun in Malone’s Upper Marlboro home in August along with 998.5 grams of cocaine and 81.2 grams of heroin in August 2013.
After he completes his prison sentence, Malone will be on five years of supervised release, during which he must perform 75 hours of community service each year. He must also pay $150,000.
Photo via DC Assault