Guilty of Distributing Pot & Guns, June 22

Isaiah Lee Holt, 30, and Marjorie Livingston, 37, residents of Portland, were charged today in a five-count indictment alleging the couple engaged in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana and illegally purchased and possessed firearms. Holt is charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and felon in possession of a firearm. Holt made an initial appearance today in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Papak. He will appear at an arraignment and detention hearing on June 21, 2018. Livingston is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. She is expected to make her first appearance before a federal magistrate judge on or before June 22, 2018. According to court documents, in February 2018, Livingston is alleged to have illegally purchased a firearm for Holt, a convicted felon, at a licensed federal firearms dealer located in Portland. An assistant manager at the store contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to report the alleged “straw” purchase. ATF agents obtained a search warrant on Holt and Livingston’s NE Portland residence. On April 4, 2018, while surveilling Holt and the residence, agents contacted Holt and conducted a search of his person. Holt possessed two cell phones, two bundles of cash, two sets of keys, and seven small baggies of cocaine weighing approximately 11.5 grams. Later the same day, agents conducted a search of the residence where they found materials consistent with drug trafficking including digital scales, small baggies, and Inositol, an agent commonly used for “cutting” cocaine.  Subsequent searches of the residence revealed a locked safe containing $46,100 in cash, two large plastic totes containing approximately 14 pounds of marijuana, U.S. Postal Service mailing labels, a heat sealer and food saver bags. Agents also found a Ruger AR-556 rifle, a Taurus 9mm pistol and a loaded M&P Shield .40 caliber firearm with an attached Crimson Trace laser. Searches conducted of Holt and Livingston’s phones revealed numerous text and picture messages referencing marijuana and bank deposits. Messages were exchanged with phone numbers in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Florida. These messages included photos of bulk marijuana, shipping receipts, and bank deposit receipts. An indictment is only an accusation of a crime; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.