A local businesswoman has been convicted of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in Juneau, and admitted the government has the right to seek forfeiture of one of her shops that used drug trafficking money to operate.
Gema G. Thomas, 52, the owner of a downtown bead shop and a downtown bridal shop, appeared in U.S. District Court in Juneau’s Federal Building on Tuesday and changed her plea to guilty.
Thomas admitted to conspiring with suppliers in Washington and another defendant from Juneau to distribute about 158 grams of methamphetamine from July 3 to July 7 of this year.
Thomas was originally charged by federal prosecutors via felony information with one single count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, a felony.
She was arrested Oct. 5 on an arrest warrant after an investigation by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Juneau Police Drug Metro Unit.
Thomas pleaded guilty as charged on Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Timothy Burgess. In exchange for her plea, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt, who is prosecuting the case, agreed not to prosecute her on any other charges related to the offense.
Thomas is facing a minimum of 10 years in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Sentencing is scheduled for March. Recommended sentences were not a part of the plea deal.
According to the factual basis outlined by Schmidt in a written plea agreement, Thomas contacted drug dealers in Washington sometime before July 3 and ordered six ounces of methamphetamine for an agreed price of about $6,000.
Thomas paid that amount by depositing cash into one of their bank accounts, and she received the drugs on July 7 via U.S. Postal Service Express Mail. The package was addressed to one of her businesses, Peer Amid Beads, 130 Front Street.
Thomas took the package to her residence on Moraine Way, opened it and left the drugs in her garage to be picked up by Darrell W. Dawson, 44, who was arrested and charged with the same federal crime as Thomas.
Thomas admitted that Dawson arrived at her house on a motorcycle to pick the drugs up. Schmidt said at the time of Dawson’s arrest, Dawson was found to be in possession of an additional 4.8 grams of methamphetamine, which was previously supplied by Thomas from a prior package containing an additional six ounces of methamphetamine.
The plea agreement states Dawson then sold the methamphetamine “fronted” by Thomas, and he paid Thomas $15,000 in drug proceeds as payment for the previous six ounces.
Thomas admitted to using the drug proceeds from drug trafficking to pay for her business operating costs and inventory for Bridal Gowns, Formal Wear, and Tuxedo Rentals, located at 213 Seward Street.
Thomas agreed not to contest forfeiture of the business, which she co-owns with her husband, Michael Paul Thomas.
Dawson also appeared in federal court on Tuesday before Burgess. He was scheduled to be sentenced, but his sentencing was postponed at the last minute until January.
Dawson was originally charged by the state of Alaska on drug-related felony offenses, but those charges were dismissed by the district attorney as the federal case took hold.
Dawson was indicted by a federal grand jury in July on the same charge as Thomas, but for conspiring from January 2011 to July 7, 2012.
He pleaded guilty in September, but only to conspiring from July 3 to 7, same as Thomas.
Thomas was never indicted since she waived her right to be prosecuted by indictment, and consented to being prosecuted via felony information.
The maximum penalties for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine are a minimum of 10 years to life in prison; a minimum of five years of supervised release; and a maximum of a $10 million fine.
The government is also seeking forfeiture of Dawson’s motorcycle, which he agreed not to contest.
Thomas is represented by attorney Julie Willoughby, and Dawson is represented by James Barrett.
The names of the Washington conspirators were not released.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (62)
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Has a more important issue to discuss.
Yet they do not give us the option to comment. I want to be done with this topic.
Burger got two years. WTF!
Watcher, she pleaded guilty
Watcher,
It seems like you are close with Gema, and have been deeply hurt or otherwise affected by this situation. I have sympathy for you. However, I don’t have sympathy for Gema. She is an adult who made her own decisions, and will now likely answer for her actions. It doesn’t matter that she was a nice neighbor, friend, parent, or whatever. I have been a customer at the bead shop and she was always very helpful, friendly, and professional. But that has nothing to do with this matter. She has apparently violated the law in a particularly grievous and ugly way. Meth destroys lives and families. That is what people are reacting to here (despite misreprestented facts by the JE, she still pleaded guilty). It causes me personally to think of kids that I went to school with who are now drugged out scumbags or lucky and in jail due to their own poor choices and the availability of meth. It makes me think of my little brother who is in high school, and by the grace of God and a family who loves him, chooses to stay away from damaging behaviors such as drug abuse. To think that someone (nice or not) would facilitate the distribution of this devastating and illegal substance makes my blood boil. I have no doubt that this women is good to the people she loves. But she has in some degree damaged my community, where my family lives, where my friends are growing up. She has apparently done so in a calculated and severely disgusting way. It is unacceptable, and people have the right to voice their disdain for something so offensive. Sadly, this is the game Gema chose to play, and I am sorry for the innocents in her life that are adversely affected by her choice.