Dennis Hunter, 51, pleaded guilty Thursday in Dayton’s U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. His wife, Sivan Hunter, 46, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of misprision of a felony, which is concealing knowledge of a felony.
Conspiracy to distribute that much marijuana — a count dropped in each plea agreement — carries with it a minimum 10-year sentence and a maximum of life in prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Walter Rice said Thursday that the non-binding advisory sentencing range for Dennis Hunter is from 33 to 41 months in prison, with the maximum punishment 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The minimum penalty is probation.
Sivan Hunter’s crime is punishable by a maximum of three years in prison and $250,000 fine. Both are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 30. Their trials had been scheduled to begin Thursday.
Dennis Hunter agreed to forfeit a Mercedes Benz R350 and some cash plus write a check for nearly $35,000 for his home at 243 Hornwood Drive. Asked by Rice what job he’s had as an adult, Hunter answered, “home improvement.”
According to court documents, Hunter allegedly used drug proceeds for repairs and improvements, including buying granite counter tops, windows, furniture and an 80-inch television. He also allegedly tried to disguise his illegal profits by converting cash into money orders, which were deposited into various bank accounts.
According to federal court records, Hunter served nearly six years in federal prison after a 1996 case involving conspiracy to distribute cocaine and money laundering.
A Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals document indicated Hunter began dealing drugs in 1986 and in 1994, he found a reliable source for cocaine, some of which was converted to crack. By 1996, the document said Hunter was the leader of a major drug distribution ring in Dayton.
The document said that in September 1996, Hunter told an associate he wanted out of the “narcotics trade” and that he wanted to put his money into “more secure avenues.”
The associate convinced Hunter to invest in a Detroit flea market and that the company would “take the proceeds that derived from the narcotics and clean them up as if they were legitimate money,” according to court records.
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