NEWARK, NJ
An associate of the DeCavalcante organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra today admitted his role in distributing cocaine, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
James Heeney, 36, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, plead guilty in federal court charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine.
Heeney faces up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 23.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Heeney was arrested and charged by complaint in March 2015, along with eight members of the DeCavalcante crime family.
He admitted that between August 2012 and March 2013 along with other family associates, he sold more than one-half a kilo of cocaine to an undercover FBI agent for at least $30,000.