Tylon Vaughn, known as “Bucky B,” was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for distributing crack and weed.
Vaughn, who’s 36, is one of over 100 people who were arrested in May 2012 as part of Operation Bloodline, the state’s largest every gang sweep.The operation involved wiretaps, surveillance, and undercover work. The vast majority of Bloodline defendants have pleaded guilty.
Vaughn was one of the minority who fought the charges against him. At a trial late last year, his lawyer argued that while Vaughn may have been a drug dealer, he wasn’t part of a conspiracy, as federal prosecutors alleged.
Federal attorneys put the self-identified drug conspiracy ringleader, known as “White Boy Chris,” on the stand to testify against Vaughn and a co-defendant. Prosecutors convinced a jury to convict Vaughn on Dec. 6, 2013.
The jury found Vaughn guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine and a quantity of marijuana, and two counts of distributing crack.
Vaughn will be imprisoned for 144 months, followed by five years of supervised release.