Dayton ‘Diamond Cut’ member pleads guilty to drug charges
One of three defendants of the so-called “Diamond Cut” group including a Dayton rap artist pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to drug trafficking charges.
Darrius J. Reynolds, 25, pleaded guilty in Dayton’s U.S. District Court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. In exchange, a conspiracy charge was dismissed.
Fellow defendants and brothers Larry Winn and rapper Clarence “Chaos” Winn, aka CCSERVA, are scheduled for plea deals and/or future hearings. Reynolds is not currently incarcerated, but the Winns are both in area county jails.
The three are part of a group called Diamond Cut — an organization Clarence Winn contends is made up of musicians but that which law enforcement has called a gang. Other members of Diamond Cut have been prosecuted for federal drug-related crimes.
Reynolds’ attorney calculated his client’s non-binding sentencing guideline range at 27 to 33 months. The statutory maximums are up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
U.S. District Court Judge Walter Rice accepted the guilty plea
continued from B1 and scheduled sentencing for June 7. Rice, who ordered a pre-sentence report, said he is not bound by the agreedupon sentencing range.
In March 2017, a local drug task force busted what Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer called a “substantial” fentanyl operation during a series of raids in Trotwood and Dayton.
Four pounds of fentanyl was seized along with cash, guns and 10 “upscale” vehicles at search warrant raids at four spots by the Regional Agencies Narcotics & Gun Enforcement Task Force (RANGE) and an FBI SWAT team. Plummer said then that the drugs seized had an estimated street value of $160,000.
Clarence Winn was indicted on six counts related to drug trafficking. There is a telephone status conference in Clarence Winn’s case scheduled for March 26.
Last May, Clarence Winn was ordered to remain in custody when Rice denied Winn’s motion for bond.
The judge went against a pretrial services report that said Winn’s deep ties to the community meant he could be out of jail without electronic monitoring.
Larry Winn, who was indicted on three counts, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on March 19.