Man Sentenced in Georgia to 28 Years in Prison for Leading Drug, Money Laundering Ring
ROME, Ga. – Wilfort Foster, III, 41, of El Monte, California, has been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to narcotics and money laundering conspiracy charges. Foster, a convicted felon who was on probation during part of his criminal activity, orchestrated an operation that transported hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and significant quantities of fentanyl from California to North Georgia and other areas. He then laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds.
“Our office partnered with a host of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle a significant, multi-state drug trafficking and money laundering network,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Foster’s 28-year prison sentence should serve as a robust warning to others who might consider trafficking deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine in North Georgia.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, Foster’s operation ran from 2017 into 2022, conspiring to transport drugs from California to Cartersville, Georgia, and other locations. Foster managed a stash house and an illegal gambling operation out of his California barbershop, using it to supply his network. In one instance, he supplied a co-defendant with over 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, which law enforcement later seized.
After drugs were sold, conspirators in Georgia laundered more than $600,000 in cash back to Foster by using shell companies and flying with large sums of cash to California. Foster maintained strict control over his network, once breaking a co-defendant’s jaw over a drug debt.
“DEA is committed to going after money laundering networks that move cash made from the sale of illegal drugs in the United States,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
During the multi-agency investigation, law enforcement seized substantial quantities of narcotics and over a dozen firearms, including an AR-15. Foster continued his illicit activities in Georgia despite being on probation in California for a previous case involving the seizure of more than nine kilograms of methamphetamine and two firearms.
“This sentencing marks the end of a years-long effort to dismantle a dangerous drug trafficking network that was pushing lethal fentanyl and methamphetamine into our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
On January 6, 2025, United States District Judge William M. Ray II sentenced Foster to 28 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Foster had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Another member of Foster’s organization, Steven Ham, 43, of Cartersville, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release on November 26, 2024, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Several other defendants have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing in connection with this case:
- Clifford Alexander, 39, of Gadsden, Alabama: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Frank Miller, 47, of Cartersville, Georgia: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
- Kenneth Antoine Scott, 41, of East Point, Georgia: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
- Lori Silvers, 46, of Rockmart, Georgia: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Nia Thomas, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
This extensive case was investigated by a wide array of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Postal Inspection Service, and numerous sheriff’s offices and police departments across multiple states. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Calvin A. Leipold, III, Matthew R. LaGrone, and Jeffrey Brown, along with former Assistant United States Attorneys Richard Beaulieu and Zachary Howard, and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lyons.
