BANGOR — The federal judge who sentenced a Lincoln man Wednesday to nearly three years in prison on drug charges said the powers of family, love, community and addiction were on display in the courtroom.
U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Anthony Martin, 50, to 33 months in federal prison for his role in the Lee-Lincoln cocaine ring at the end of an emotional hourlong hearing. More than a dozen family and friends tearfully asked Hornby to show mercy toward Martin and spoke movingly about how he has turned his life around in the past three years.
“This really has been a remarkable outpouring of support for Mr. Martin,” the judge said. “It has been a graphic demonstration of what is going on in many communities around the country and in Maine.
“I have heard graphically about what his involvement in this drug conspiracy has done to Mr. Martin, his family and friends,” Hornby said. “What we have not heard is the tremendous impact the conspiracy had on the communities and families who suffered similar tragedies as a result of it.”
Martin pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He is one of more than two dozen people who have pleaded guilty to being part of the cocaine distribution ring between Jan. 1, 2002, and May 1, 2006, that stretched from Costa Rica to Florida to northern Maine.
His role in the conspiracy was to bring cocaine from Massachusetts to Maine, according to court documents. It was uncovered on March 9, 2006, when Martin and another man were arrested in the parking lot of a hotel in Lawrence, Mass., where they were waiting for a delivery cocaine.
Martin, who had a hunting rifle with him, was arrested and charged with having an unregistered gun in Massachusetts, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey told Hornby on Wednesday. The Lincoln man was sentenced to the mandatory minimum of 12 months in the Essex County Jail in Middleton, Mass., on the gun charge.
While there, he was able to kick his drug habit, Martin told the judge. He said his addiction to cocaine began after his mother’s death in 2004.
“Going to jail in Massachusetts change my life,” he said. “I took the 90-day drug course and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. Since being in jail, I’ve realized the mistakes I’ve made and turned them around. As you can see, I’ve got many good friends. I just hope the court sees that people do change.”
Martin faced a five-year mandatory minimum and a 40-year maximum sentence and a fine of up to $2 million on the drug conspiracy charge.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Silverstein of Bangor urged Hornby to reduce Martin’s sentence to less than two years by giving him credit for the 12 months he served in Massachusetts.
In imposing the sentence, Hornby said the only way he could sentence Martin to less time was to grant the federal prosecutor’s motion that the sentence be reduced due to Martin’s cooperation.
Hornby sentenced Martin to the 33 months Casey recommended and five years of supervised release after his prison term.
“People do change,” the judge said just before sentencing Martin. “Addiction is not an easy thing to overcome but there is hope and, indeed, ironically, the law and jail sometimes make that change possible.”