An associate of the DeCavalcante organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra today admitted his role in distributing more than 500 grams of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
James Heeney, 36, of Elizabeth pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Heeney was arrested and charged by complaint in March 2015, along with eight members of the DeCavalcante crime family. He admitted that between August 2012 and March 2013, in conjunction with other family associates, he sold more than one-half a kilo of cocaine to an undercover FBI agent for at least $30,000.
The drug distribution count to which Heeney pleaded guilty carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2016.