United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced James Leevann Howard, 44, to 48 months in prison and five years of supervised release on 8 June 2011 for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and conspiring to launder money.[1] Howard had bought the Franklinton residence in 2002 and rented it to David and Whitney Clarke as a marijuana grow site, receiving regular cash payments from David Clarke’s sales proceeds from 2002 until 2008.[1]
Officers executed search warrants on 11 August 2009 at homes in Franklinton and Youngsville and found a large indoor grow in the Franklinton basement with a 12,000-gallon watering system, while at the Youngsville home of David and Whitney Clarke they seized 59 firearms including a fully automatic machine gun and 63,121 dollars in cash.[2][1] David Clarke, 40, pleaded guilty on 22 March 2010 to marijuana conspiracy, money-laundering conspiracy and possession of a machine gun and was sentenced on 28 September 2010 to 84 months in prison, while Whitney Clarke, 32, pleaded guilty on 7 June 2010 to money-laundering conspiracy and was sentenced the same day to 48 months.[2][1] Four other members were also convicted and sentenced in the case: Shane McCrossin to 18 months, Stephen Barber to 30 months, Sean McGovern to 21 months, each with five years of supervised release.[1]
The investigation was run by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Wake County ABC board and the Wake and Franklin County Sheriffs’ Offices, ending what prosecutors called a six-year conspiracy distributing hundreds of pounds of hydroponic marijuana across North Carolina for millions of dollars in illicit gains, with officers also seizing vehicles, a boat, a currency-counting machine, real property and thousands of dollars.[2][1]
