FEDS TO RELEASE 15 MORE PEOPLE IN BOTCHED MANSFIELD DRUG CASE

A federal judge plans to dismiss the convictions of 15 men who were
sent to prison in a botched drug case involving an informant who has
admitted to perjury.

U.S. District Judge John Adams told attorneys Tuesday afternoon that
he hopes to have the men out of prison by Feb. 1.

Federal prosecutors are expected to formally ask Adams to release the
men today or tomorrow in a filing that will indicate prosecutors lack
the evidence to convict them.

The evidence against the men is largely the tainted testimony of
informant Jerrell Bray, has admitted lying as part of a massive drug
investigation in Mansfield. The case was spearheaded by the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration.

Bray has pleaded guilty to perjury and civil rights violations
stemming from the case and is now serving 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors refused to say that the 15 men were all innocent. They
just stressed that they lacked the evidence to convict them if the
cases were taken to trial.

Most of the men, in fact, pleaded guilty to a variety of drug charges.

Federal public defender Dennis Terez said the move was unprecedented.

"This does not happen, it just does not happen," Terez said "But what
the prosecutors did was the right thing."

Geneva France, a 25-year-old Mansfield woman, refused to take a plea
bargain in exchange for a lighter sentence. She went to trial and was
convicted, largely on the testimony of Bray and DEA Agent Lee Lucas.
She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and served 16 months before
Bray admitted he lied and that France had nothing to do with the case.

That prompted a Justice Department internal investigation into the
case, leading to Tuesday's announcement that the cases will be dismissed.

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LEAVING PRISON

Federal prosecutors in Cleveland asked a judge Tuesday to release 15
men sentenced to prison in a massive cocaine drug investigation. All
of the men but one -- Dwayne Nabors -- pled guilty to drug charges.
Nabors went to trial but was convicted. He was released from prison
on bond last October. The entire case fell apart after a rogue
informant admitted he lied on the witness stand about several drug
deals. Most of the men started serving their sentences in mid-2006.
Those to be released next month:

Inmate Age Sentence Charge

James Burton 37 11 yrs, 8 mos Selling pound of cocaine to informant
Jerrell Bray

Albert Lee 31 10 yrs Selling pound of cocaine to Bray and selling
cocaine near an elementary school

Tyron Brown 29 8 yrs, 4 mos Selling cocaine to Bray and selling
cocaine to Bray near a school

Frank Douglas 28 7 yrs Selling more than 50 grams of crack cocaine to Bray

Johnny Robertson 26 5 yrs, 10 mos Selling more than 50 grams of crack
cocaine to Bray

Jim Williams 31 5 yrs, 3 mos Selling 3 grams of crack cocaine to Bray

Charles Mathews 24 5 yrs, 3 mos Selling crack cocaine near a city park

Dwayne Nabors 35 5 yrs Possessing two handguns (stemming from search
of home for drugs)

Nolan Lovett 22 5 yrs Selling more than 50 grams of crack cocaine to Bray

Robert Harris 20 5 yrs Selling cocaine to Bray near a school

Arrico Spires 35 4 yrs, 9 mos Selling cocaine to Bray near a youth center

Noel Mott 31 4 yrs, 3 mos Selling more than 50 grams of cocaine to Bray

Marlon Brooks 36 3 yrs, 10 mos Distributing cocaine stemming from a
sale to Bray

Dametrese Ransaw 29 3 yrs, 6 mos Selling cocaine to Bray near a school

Jerry Moton 30 3 yrs, 1 mo Selling cocaine to Bray near an elementary school

Source: Federal court records