COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 38-year-old man serving time in the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) prison system has been sentenced to federal prison time for trafficking drugs from behind bars.
Benjamin Johnathan Newman was sentenced to more than 26 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin. According to the US Department of Justice, Newman -- who has been incarcerated in the state prison system since 2012, serving a 25-year sentence for drug trafficking -- used contraband cell phones to "order the importation of large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, including directly from sources in Mexico." He would then hire drivers to pick up the drugs in Georgia, Texas and Florida and deliver them to his safe houses in Lexington County where they would eventually be distributed to drug dealers in South Carolina.
Newman and his co-defendants trafficked more than 350 kilograms of methamphetamine, four kilograms of heroin, nearly one kilogram of cocaine, 18 kilograms of marijuana, and 250 grams of crack cocaine throughout the state.
“Some of our highest volume drug traffickers are working from a prison cell,” said Adair Ford Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We thank Director Stirling and the investigators at the South Carolina Department of Corrections for their work to put an end to their continued criminal conduct.”
Newman and three of the seven co-defendants have been convicted and sentenced in federal court. They are:
- Benjamin Johnathan Newman, 38, of Lexington, was sentenced to 320 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of court-ordered supervision.
- Chelsea Grace Wynn, 32, of Lexington, was sentenced to 220 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervision.
- Nehemiah Jimmy Mayes, III, 29, of Lexington, was sentenced to 170 months to be followed by five years of supervision.
- Josiah Daniel Dailey, 38, of Aynor, was sentenced to 63 months to be followed by five years of supervision.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This man is a very large-scale drug dealer in South Carolina, and he was able to continue his crimes from behind bars using illegal cellphones,” SCDC Director Bryan Stirling said. “His conviction highlights the urgent need for state prisons to be able to jam illegal contraband cell phones. I am grateful to the U.S. Attorney and everyone involved for helping us bring this criminal to justice.”