KAREN L. LOEFFLER
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
DISTRICT OF ALASKA
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Joseph Cecil, aka “Kevin Dupree,” 53, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by five
years of supervised release. Cecil pleaded guilty on December 22, 2015, to conspiracy to distribute
methamphetamine and heroin and conspiracy to launder money. His co-conspirator, Stacy Johnson also
pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and awaits sentencing on May 31, 2016.
According to court documents, Cecil has a long history of violating the laws related to illegal drug
possession, trafficking, and money laundering.
Between January 2013 and January 2015, Cecil entered into an agreement with Johnson and others
to distribute methamphetamine and heroin throughout Alaska. Cecil orchestrated a system wherein the
drugs were sent to Alaska from California. Cecil himself then took possession of these drugs with the
intent to distribute them in Alaska communities.
Furthermore, Cecil conspired with the others to launder the proceeds of the drug sales in an
attempt to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership, and control of the funds. Cecil, Johnson,
and others laundered money knowing that the money represented the proceeds of drug sales. Cecil
arranged for his co-defendants to use a series of bank accounts to move money made from the sale of
heroin and methamphetamine. Proceeds were deposited in Alaska and withdrawn in California. In other
instances, Cecil instructed members of the group to send drug sale proceeds via Western Union and
Money Gram wire transfers. Thousands of dollars were transferred from Alaska to California using these
methods of money transfer. This money laundering activity also further supported the distribution of
heroin and methamphetamine in Alaska.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephan Collins, Lead Organized Crime and
Drug Enforcement Task Force Attorney for the District of Alaska. The case was investigated by the
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force which includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Prepared by: Chloe Martin, USAAK.PressRelease@usdoj.gov
