Two defendants arrested in 2018 and charged with Violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act entered guilty pleas in Jones County Superior Court.
James Paul Copeland and Robert Farell Tate appeared separately but both received sentences of 10 years for involvement in getting drugs and contraband into prisons. The sentences of both defendants were allowed to be served on probation.
Superior Court Judge Terry Massey presided over the cases. Tate was represented by defense attorney Keith Fitzgerald and Copeland by defense attorney G.B. Moore III. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore.
Fiore said the defendants were involved in a drug organization that operated inside and outside of prisons. She said drugs were brought into the prison and distributed. The prosecutor said drones and other means were utilized to get the items inside the facilities.
Both Tate and Copeland were banned from Jones County for the duration of their sentences.
In a story about the Nov. 15, 2018, arrests of 13 individuals on the RICO charges, Earl Humphries and Jimmy Black with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office talked about the six-month investigation into a source of contraband being funneled into Georgia prisons.
Humphries said the individuals arrested were Kodie Thomas DiDiego, Christine Ashley DiDiego, Danielle Nicole Barlow, Copeland, Lisa Michelle Scott, Denise Danyette Krieger, Albert Reginal Askew and Erin Marie Fowler. Warrants were obtained for Javarian Martez Roberson and four inmates in Dooly State Prison, Wilmer Corneil, Rashawn Ariel Scott, Tate, and Jonathan Luke Norton.
Humphries explained that Kodie DiDiego was the head of the criminal enterprise headquartered in Jones County that was supplying a smuggling ring with contraband for inmates inside Dooly State Prison.
The enterprise was at least in part a family affair with the DiDiegos being husband and wife and Krieger Kodie’s mother. He said the suspects were involved in the transport of cigarettes, tobacco, ecstasy, methamphetamine, marijuana and mobile phones. He said their main target was Dooly State Prison, but Washington State and other prisons were also targeted.
Humphries said Jones County Sheriff Department deputies worked the surveillance in the case and were assisted by the Georgia Department of Corrections investigative unit, sheriff’s departments in Dooly County, Houston County, Washington County, Bibb County, Baldwin County, the U.S. Marshals and the Davisboro Police Department.
