Marijuana Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that DELROY ANDERSON, also known as "Max," 57, formerly of Stamford, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to leading a money laundering conspiracy related to his large-scale trafficking of marijuana.

According to court documents and statements made in court, for approximately five years, Anderson conspired with others to launder proceeds from a marijuana trafficking operation by paying for marijuana cultivation, package shipping, electricity, and air travel expenses with the proceeds. He also deposited the drug trafficking proceeds into multiple bank accounts opened in the name of Maximillion Enterprises Inc., and structured deposits to evade reporting requirements under federal law. Between 2015 and 2019, Anderson operated marijuana cultivation farms in Santa Rosa, California, and Willits, California, and he employed others to grow, harvest, package, and ship the marijuana for distribution in Connecticut, Virginia, New York, and elsewhere.

In February 2020, Anderson and his co-conspirators, Kelvin Jackson, and Stephanie Atkinson, were charged by indictment with various money laundering offenses. On February 18, 2022, Anderson, who had been released on bond pending trial, was scheduled to appear before Judge Dooley for a guilty plea proceeding. He failed to appear for that court proceeding and ceased contact with his attorney and the U.S. Probation Office.

On November 8, 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Anderson in Dallas, Texas. He has been detained since his arrest.

Anderson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Anderson also agreed to forfeit his interest in multiple bank accounts associated with the charged conspiracy.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for September 16.

Jackson, of Bristol, Virginia, and Atkinson, of Stamford, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and await sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Stamford Police Department, and the Sonoma County (Calif.) Sheriff's Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.