KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Knoxville investigation has led to a federal grand jury returning an eight-count indictment against four men for fentanyl, methamphetamine and firearms related charges.
On July 18, a federal grand jury in Knoxville returned an eight-count indictment against four defendants — Mark O’Neil Robinson, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia; Christopher Harold Roberts, 57, of Knoxville; Brian Kirksey, 44, of Knoxville; and Donnie Lee Oliver, 55, of Powell.
According to the indictment filed with the court, all defendants are charged with a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Robinson is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, including a firearm equipped with a silencer. Roberts is also charged with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Robinson made his initial appearance on July 22; Oliver and Kirksey made their initial appearances on Aug. 5, and Roberts made his initial appearance on Aug. 6. Each defendant’s initial appearance in this case was in the U.S. District Court at Knoxville before Judge Debra C. Poplin, and each defendant entered a plea of not guilty. This case has been set for trial for Sept. 24 before Judge Katherine A. Crytzer in the U.S. District Court at Knoxville.
If convicted, Robinson faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 60 years and up to life, as well as other penalties; Kirksey and Oliver each face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and up to life in prison and other penalties; and Roberts faces a mandatory minimum term of incarceration of 15 years and up to life in prison and other penalties.
An indictment constitutes only charges and every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee Francis M. Hamilton III made the announcement. This indictment is the result of an investigation led by HSI Knoxville, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Quencer and Caroline Poore will represent the United States.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.