Three Southern Tier residents are being held pending trial on federal methamphetamine distribution charges after arraignments Oct. 2, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
Jermaine Cooper, 53, of Apalachin; Sherry Olk, 40, of Binghamton; and Shamell Tate, 36, of Endicott, face charges arising from two separate complaints, prosecutors said in a news release.
The complaint against Cooper and Olk accuses them of selling more than 100 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine in July. A separate complaint accuses Tate of selling more than 200 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine in September.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years, along with a fine of up to $250,000. They also carry supervised release ranging from at least five years to life.
FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said the arrests resulted from coordination among law enforcement agencies throughout Broome County. District Attorney Paul Battisti described the effort as part of joint federal, state and local enforcement rather than separate agency investigations.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III, Sheriff Frederick Akshar II, State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Lt. Nate McCarthy and Vestal Police Chief Vince Stavola joined the announcement.
The FBI, State Police, Broome County Sheriff’s Office and Vestal Police Department are investigating. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Grabowski and Michael Whalen are prosecuting the cases.
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