Opinion ID: 2809264
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Targeting Price

Text: On October 25, 2005, Bray told law-enforcement officers that he could set up a controlled buy with an individual named “Ronald Davis.” “Ronald Davis” was an alias used by Herman Price, but Bray did not learn of this until after Price had been indicted and arrested. In 2003, Price fled Michigan after he pleaded guilty to state drug and gun offenses and agreed to a Nos. 14-3443/3444 Webb, et al. v. United States, et al. Page 7 seven-year term of incarceration. Price paid his brother-in-law, the actual Ronald Davis, one thousand dollars for the use of Davis’s name, birth certificate, and Social Security card so that Price could hide his criminal record. Also on October 25, 2005, Metcalf and Lucas recorded and monitored two calls that Bray placed to set up the controlled buy. According to Lucas’s report, at 2:05 PM, Bray called a phone number associated with Price. Bray actually called his own girlfriend’s cellphone and spoke with Shay Shay Moxley, a female friend of his girlfriend, to set up a controlled buy. Lucas’s DEA-6 report noted that Bray spoke to a woman named “Lil S” about the drug deal. At 2:08 PM, Metcalf and Lucas monitored and recorded a second call that Bray placed to Marcus English, whom Bray identified to the officers as Price. English was in fact Price’s cousin. After identifying himself and exchanging pleasantries with English, Bray said “I’m about to come. I need to holler at you.” The two then agreed to meet on South Adams Street ten minutes later. After these calls, Faith and Metcalf drove to Price’s home on 121 Glessner Avenue. According to Lucas’s DEA-6 report and Faith’s affidavit for a search warrant of the home, Faith and Metcalf identified Price, observed him departing 121 Glessner Avenue in a silver car, and followed him to 187 South Adams Street. Faith and Metcalf would later admit that they did not see anyone depart 121 Glessner Avenue. While they saw someone driving a silver Caprice on Glessner Avenue, they neither identified the driver nor attempted to follow him. The driver of the silver car was actually English, not Price. Faith’s affidavit noted that “Price” drove a Chevy Caprice with the license plate DOJ-6183, which ultimately was found to be registered to English’s girlfriend. Lucas wrote in his report that “Price” drove a Lincoln, which was the type of car registered to Price. At the same time, Lucas drove to 187 South Adams Street and dropped off Bray, who was wearing a concealed recording device. English arrived shortly thereafter, met Bray outside of the house, and entered the house with Bray. Inside the house, Bray asked to buy drugs from English, and English responded that “I can definitely get it.” English also told Bray that “I got your number . . . . I’ll call you back with a price.” After this conversation, Bray left the house and called Shay Shay to tell her that he was coming to her on Glessner Avenue. Bray then told Lucas that they needed to return to Glessner Avenue to buy drugs from “Price’s girl.” Lucas agreed, even though he had monitored the conversation inside Nos. 14-3443/3444 Webb, et al. v. United States, et al. Page 8 the house and therefore should have known that Bray and English/Price had made no such agreement. According to Bray’s 2007 statements to OIG investigators, while driving back to Glessner Avenue to buy drugs from “Price’s girl,” Bray disclosed to Lucas that Bray’s friend Shay Shay was actually the one bringing the drugs. At that point, Lucas told Bray to turn off the recorder. After turning off the recorder, Bray explained that he was using Shay Shay as a standin to frame Price, and Lucas allegedly agreed to the scheme. Bray later recanted this allegation while testifying at Lucas’s criminal trial in 2010. Nonetheless, the audio recording captured Lucas telling Bray to shut off his recorder. Bray and Lucas picked up Shay Shay, whom Bray falsely identified as Geneva France, near 121 Glessner Avenue, and Bray turned the recorder back on. Lucas bought drugs from Shay Shay in the car. Lucas claimed that the drugs were “a little light” and asked Bray to call Price and reduce the sales price. Bray testified at Lucas’s criminal trial that he pretended to dial the phone and had a fake conversation with Price, in which Price supposedly agreed to give $200 back, in order to strengthen the evidence of Price’s involvement. Phone records confirm that Bray did not call Price, or anyone else, at that time. Lucas nonetheless reported and testified that he heard Price instruct Shay Shay to give a $200 discount on the other end of Bray’s nonexistent phone call. After the deal, Lucas reported and testified that Bray called Price again and that Price let Bray know that he had followed them and “watched everything go down.” There is also no record that this second call ever took place. On November 8, 2005, Lucas gave the following testimony before a federal grand jury: On October 25, 2005 in Mansfield, Ohio an informant made tape recorded telephone calls to Ronald Davis, setting up a purchase of two-and-a-half ounces of crack cocaine. I went with the informant to an address on South Adams Street. The informant got out of the car, met with Ronald Davis. The informant had a tape recorder. At this time Ronald Davis had a pistol in his hand when he met with the informant. Ronald Davis directed us to go over to his residence, down a couple of streets, 121 Glessner Avenue. We drove down – we left Ronald Davis there, we went over to Glessner Avenue, which he told us this girl would be waiting for us. And we pulled up a young girl named – she told me her name was Little S, she was subsequently identified as Geneva France, got into the car, got in the back seat. She handed me two-and-a- Nos. 14-3443/3444 Webb, et al. v. United States, et al. Page 9 half ounces of crack, scales, she had her own scale, we weighed it out. I gave her $2,500. The problem was it weighed light, it was supposed to be two-and-a-half, he gave me two-and-a-quarter so I had the informant call and tell him I wasn’t going to pay that much. He said take $200 out of it. We spent $2300 that I ended up giving to Geneva France at his direction, Ronald Davis’ direction. Then we dropped Geneva France off, she went back to the house. We made telephone contact afterwards with Davis because he said he wanted to talk to us after. As we drove back to South Adams Street where he was he said no, everything was fine. He followed us and watched the deal as it happened to make sure we didn’t try to rip off his girl. At that point the deal was over. The grand jury indicted Price on November 9, 2005. On that date, Faith obtained a state-court search warrant for 121 Glessner Avenue. On November 10, Police found Price inside the residence and arrested him. A search of the premises resulted in the seizure of drugs and guns. Price was charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine based on the October 25, 2005, drug deal. On February 6, 2006, the government dismissed the grand-jury indictment for the October 25, 2005, drug deal in exchange for a guilty plea based on the drugs recovered from the search of Price’s home.