CHICAGO — A drug trafficker who conspired with his father and several others to operate a cocaine delivery service in the Chicago area has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
Tony J. Cayuela, also known as “Tone Kapone,” 43, of Chicago, operated a drug trafficking organization that in 2018 distributed cocaine to hundreds of customers in the Chicago area. Tony J. Cayuela packaged wholesale quantities of cocaine into one-gram bags for retail sale and dispatched drivers to complete deliveries to customers. One of the drivers was Tony Cayuela’s father, Tony F. Cayuela, 68, of Chicago.
Federal law enforcement shut down the drug trafficking organization during a multi-year investigation known as “Operation Flawed Deal.” During the probe, authorities seized multiple bank accounts, more than a kilogram of cocaine, a Mercedes G63 sport-utility vehicle, and two handguns. All 18 defendants charged in the investigation, including the Cayuelas, pleaded guilty and admitted their roles in the trafficking operation. In addition to the drug conspiracy, Tony J. Cayuela also pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge.
U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso sentenced Tony J. Cayuela on Dec. 6, 2022. The other 17 defendants were previously sentenced, including Anees Usmani, also known as “Ace,” of Chicago, who received eight years in prison.
The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; John S. Morales, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Evanston, Ill., Police Department, Skokie, Ill., Police Department, Lincolnwood, Ill., Police Department, Palatine, Ill., Police Department, and Des Plaines, Ill., Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney represented the government.
“The convictions and federal prison sentences in this operation should serve as a warning to those who distribute poison in our communities: We will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “Our federal and local law enforcement partners in this operation performed exemplary work to dismantle a significant drug trafficking organization.”
“Operation Flawed Deal should serve as a beacon of hope to our community, a message that we won’t tolerate drugs in our neighborhoods, and those who disobey the law will be brought to justice,” said FBI Acting SAC Morales. “The FBI is honored to work with our state, local, and federal partners to protect the American people every day.”
“This sentencing signals an important victory for the American public,” said IRS-CI SAC Campbell. “The role of IRS Criminal Investigation in narcotics investigations is to follow the money and financially disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. One of the government’s most powerful weapons is the ability to seize the assets associated with narcotics-related crime. We are proud to work hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.”
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OPERATION FLAWED DEAL
DEC 14 2018 — A father and son are among 18 individuals facing criminal charges as part of a federal investigation into cocaine trafficking in the Chicago area.
During the multi-year investigation, dubbed “Operation Flawed Deal,” law enforcement seized multiple bank accounts, more than a kilogram of cocaine, a Mercedes G63 sport-utility vehicle, and two handguns, including one with an extended magazine. The defendants allegedly distributed cocaine to hundreds of customers in the Chicago area, with drivers dispatched to make door-to-door deliveries.
The investigation was conducted under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, whose principal mission is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations.
Two indictments unsealed this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago charge 18 defendants with federal drug offenses. Many of the defendants were arrested Thursday, and they have begun making initial appearances in federal court in Chicago.
The indictments were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian McKnight, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Gabriel L. Grchan, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Evanston Police Department, Skokie Police Department, Lincolnwood Police Department, Palatine Police Department and Des Plaines Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajnath Laud and Charles W. Mulaney represent the government.
Fourteen defendants are charged in U.S.A. v. Usmani, et al (18 CR 835), including Anees Usmani, also known as “Ace,” 41, of Chicago, and his brother, Nafees Usmani, 39, of Lincolnwood. The Usmani brothers allegedly conspired with Juan Bautista Dominguez, 41, of Chicago, and several others to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine in the Chicago area from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2018. Also charged in the drug conspiracy are Alfonso Trotter, also known as “Fonz” and “Fonzie,” 48, of Chicago; Ronald Allen, 47, of Chicago; Muhammad Sabih, also known as “Muhammad Iqbal” and “Sabih Nawab,” 30, of Chicago; Muhammad Bilal Khan, 24, of Chicago; Ahmed Fatah Khan Malik, 24, of Skokie; Odeh Alshobaki, 22, of Worth; Ahmed Hussein Yousef Alsawalhi, 21, of Chicago; Wesam Abdel Fattah, 32, of Chicago; and Lisa Usmani, 41, of Lincolnwood. Charged with cocaine distribution are Kenneth Slaughter, 34, of Park Forest; and Neal Bowens, 47, of Gary, Ind. The indictment seeks forfeiture from Anees Usmani of the Mercedes SUV and $247,700 in cash.
Dominguez and four other defendants are charged in U.S.A. v. Cayuela, et al (18 CR 836), including TONY F. CAYUELA, 64, of Chicago, and his son, Tony J. Cayuela, also known as “Tone Kapone,” 39, of Chicago. The Cayuelas allegedly conspired with Walberto Olivo, 46, of Chicago, to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine in the Chicago area in the spring and summer of 2018. Dominguez and Jesus Hernandez, 41, of Chicago, are charged in the indictment with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The indictment seeks forfeiture from Tony J. Cayuela of $108,000 in cash, two properties in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, and a property in the city’s Chicago Lawn neighborhood.
The charges in the indictments carry maximum penalties of 20 to 40 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that charges contains only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.