Grand jury indicts 5 defendants in multi-state narcotics, nearly $25 million money laundering conspiracies

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A federal grand jury charged five defendants with narcotics and money laundering conspiracy crimes involving multiple kilograms of drugs in at least eight states and nearly $25 million of allegedly laundered proceeds.

Those charged include:

According to the 25-count indictment, the defendants conspired to traffic five kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl in a years-long multi-state narcotics operation.

From 2015 until 2024, it is alleged that defendants conspired to launder at least $24,848,490 in drug proceeds.

The indictment details that defendants allegedly used FedEx to ship drug proceeds from the Columbus area to California, Texas and other states to buy more narcotics for distribution. They also allegedly shipped the money in an attempt to conceal the nature of the drug proceeds. Some defendants are alleged to have purchased, renovated, rented, and sold real estate as a means of money laundering.

Coconspirators allegedly used drug proceeds to rent houses, buy airline tickets, pay for hotel rooms and facilitate travel to traffic the cocaine, fentanyl and cash between Columbus and California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and other states.

The narcotics conspiracy as charged in this case against Wooden, Fountain, Ortega and Campbell is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. The money laundering crimes carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Wooden, Musick and Ortega were arrested today. The indictment was returned on Oct. 15 and unsealed following the arrests today.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Pakiz and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and gangs that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

# # #