DRUG-RING LEADERS GET LIFE SENTENCES

The drug-dealing Brown brothers, feared in south Alexandria during most of
the 1990s, were sentenced Friday to life in federal prison for crack
cocaine distribution.

Authorities said the sentencing closes the book on a powerful and
intimidating drug organization that oper-ated with impunity from 1993 until
1999.

Also sentenced in federal court in Alexandria was street-level drug dealer
Kenneth Wayne Pearson - known on the street as "Bigfoot."

U.S. District Judge F.A. Little Jr. handed Timothy Demetri Brown, the
defunct drug ring's convicted leader, a sentence of life in prison plus
another 60 years that is to run concurrently with the life sentence.

Little sentenced Christopher Michael Brown, Timothy's brother, to life and
another 40 years, also to run concurrently.

Pearson was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison on two counts of drug
trafficking.

All three men will serve their sentences at sites to be determined by the
U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Cowles said it's doubtful the Browns will ever
get out of prison.

"(A life sentence) in federal prison is life," he said. "There is no parole."

Both Browns represented themselves in a trial that started and ended in
January.

Before being sentenced, Christopher Brown told Little an appeals court
would overturn the convictions and sentences.

As the Browns and Pearson were led in handcuffs from the federal
courthouse, U.S. marshals in body armor stood guard with MP5 9mm
semiautomatics ready.

Security was tight, FBI Agent Ken Klocke said, because of the Browns'
reputations.

"These were the biggest drug dealers in Alexandria," Klocke said. "They
made millions of dollars."

Friday's court action wrapped up years of local and federal police
investigations, which resulted in convictions in January.

During the trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office sought and
got help from convicted drug dealers and others who testified that the
Browns supplied them with powder cocaine bought in Houston and transported
to Alexandria, where it was converted to crack cocaine.

The Browns would "front" the finished product to dealers. The dealers would
return a fixed amount of money to the Browns and pocket the profits, one
ex-dealer testi-fied.

Federal prosecutors also brought in a money-laundering expert who testified
that she traced Timothy and Michael Brown's income and found at least $1
million that couldn't be accounted for in revenues from Timothy Brown's
audio store.

Disturb the Peace Audio and other businesses owned by Timothy Brown were
shell companies, and the audio store was a front to hide crack cocaine
profits, Internal Revenue Service Agent Doris Schoelerman testified.

She also testified the Browns purchased enough procaine, used to dilute
cocaine to increase profits, to make 574 pounds of crack.

Jurors in the January trial didn't buy Timothy Brown's defense that he had
made his money off patents he had secured on inventions.

After the sentencing Friday, Cowles said residents in South Alexandria now
can live there with less fear.

Cowles also said local citizens "who had the courage to come forward"
helped shut down the Browns' organization, which used fear and intimidation
to exert control.

During the January trial, one drug informant's life was allegedly
threatened, and the man who made the alleged threats was twice removed and
then was banned, from Judge Little's courtroom.

Little said Friday that sending the Browns and Pearson to prison would
"benefit the community," and that all three were part of "serious drug
trafficking."