Three East Bay residents have been indicted on felony charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to sell oxycodone and oxymorphone and possession of a firearm by a felon, federal prosecutors announced last week.
A federal grand jury in San Francisco issued the indictment, which was unsealed last Wednesday, after a seven-month, multi-agency investigation revealed that Hayward women Kim Whatley, 51, and Ella Mae Simpson, 54, and Lobis Burton, a 72-year-old Pittsburg man, conspired to possess and sell oxycodone.
According to the indictment, the trio also conducted hand-to-hand sales of oxycodone and oxymorphone in the Bay Area.
In addition, the indictment alleges that both Whatley and Simpson are convicted felons who possessed firearms.
Federal authorities also confiscated more than $235,000 in cash and firearms from the defendants.
If convicted, the three East Bay residents could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The defendants are set to appear in District Court in San Francisco on Dec. 9.
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