CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On December 2, 2022, Jamaal Parker, also known as “MoneyMaal,” 38, of Chattanooga, was sentenced to 290 months in prison by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, Chief United States District Judge, in the United States District Court at Chattanooga. Parker was ordered to forfeit $21,289.04 in drug proceeds to the United States. Following his imprisonment, Parker will be on supervised release for a period of five years.
On June 8, 2022, following a two-day jury trial, Parker was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”), maintaining and using a drug premise, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §846 and 856, and Title 18 U.S.C. §924(c).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, Parker and others trafficked kilogram quantities of cocaine from a source of supply in Atlanta, Georgia, and distributed cocaine and cocaine base from a residence on Hoyt Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The investigation culminated with the March 2019 arrest of Parker, in which he led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit and was ultimately found in possession of 4 kilograms of cocaine and a loaded firearm.
“This investigation and prosecution were the result of a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target dangerous drug traffickers and stop the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.”
“This case shows that people like Mr. Parker and others like him, who undermine the health and safety of our communities by selling poison and preying on the weak, will eventually meet justice,” said Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Louisville Division. “I’m proud of the hard work done by my agents and our law enforcement counterparts on this case; Chattanooga is safer today because of their efforts.”
This case was the culmination of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of Parker, included the DEA Chattanooga Resident Office, DEA Atlanta Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chattanooga Field Office, Chattanooga Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol. Numerous agencies from the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force assisted in the investigation.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin T. Brown and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Winne represented the United States.
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