9 March 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced that Chay To was convicted by a federal jury today of multiple counts of distributing narcotics and of possessing narcotics with the intent to distribute them. The jury, after deliberating for less than a day, found that the defendant had sold methamphetamine to an undercover informant and had possessed large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana for the purpose of selling them.
The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a charge involving the possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. The guilty verdict followed a jury trial of more than a week before U.S. District Court Senior Judge William Schwarzer.
Mr. To, 47, of San Francisco, was initially indicted by a federal grand jury on January 7, 2003. He was ultimately charged with distribution of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of three firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes.
Mr. To faces a maximum statutory penalty of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years imprisonment for the crimes for which he was convicted. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. The sentencing date for Mr. To is not yet scheduled but will occur before Senior Judge Schwarzer in San Francisco.
The conviction is the result of a lengthy investigation led by Task Force Officer Daniel Parea of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Barbara B. Silano and Dana R. Wagner are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Lilli Arauz and Cherell Hallett.
A copy of this press release and related court filings may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can . Related court documents and information may be found on the District Court website at www.cand.uscourts.gov or on .
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Luke Macaulay at (415) 436-6757 or by email at Luke.Macaulay3@usdoj.gov .
