Flight attendant Marsha Gay Reynolds now in court
Marsha Gay Reynolds, the Jamaican flight attendant charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine is expected to appear in court shortly.
Thom Mrozek, spokesperson at the United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California, told THE STAR last Friday that Reynolds is expected to plead guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine today.
The United States Government has alleged that Reynolds, whose father is an ex-policeman in Jamaica, conspired and agreed with others to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine in Los Angeles County, within the Central District of California, and elsewhere.
The United States Government has pointed to several instances, dating back to October 24, 2015, in which they allege that Reynolds actively participated in schemes to distribute cocaine in the US.
Reynolds, a Miss Jamaica runner-up, was arrested after she attempted to smuggle nearly 70 pounds of cocaine - worth an estimated US$3 million (J$367 million) - through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on March 18.
She reportedly kicked off her Gucci shoes in order to run from the airport.
A co-conspirator, G.B., who has not been charged, was, according to the court documents, not legally in the United States. He is said to have fled to Jamaica after Reynolds was arrested.
The documents said that G.B would steal the identities of mentally disabled individuals to obtain passports and drivers' licenses in their names.
He would then use these documents to fly on commercial airlines with either cocaine or money generated from the sale of cocaine.
Here are the instances that the US Government said Reynolds participated in the drug trade:
1. On October 24, 2015, defendant REYNOLDS and unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled together from JFK to LAX on JetBlue flight number 23 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
2. On November 15, 2015, defendant REYNOLDS and unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled together from JFK to LAX on Jet Blue flight number 2023 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
3. On December 7, 2015, defendant REYNOLDS and unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled together from JFK to LAX on JetBlue flight number 623 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
4. On January 17, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS and unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled together from JFK to LAX on JetBlue flight number 623 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
5. On February 17, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B. traveled to LAX from JFK on American Airlines flight number 171 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
6. On February 17, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS traveled to LAX from JFK on JetBlue flight number 523 to meet with unindicted co-conspirator G.B. in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
7. On February 18, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS traveled from LAX to JFK on American Airlines flight number 28, which departed LAX at 10:30 p.m. and arrived at JFK at approximately 6:46 a.m. on February 19, 2016.
8. On February 18, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled from LAX to JFK on American Airlines flight number 30, which departed LAX at 11:30 p.m. and arrived at JFK at approximately 7:46 a.m. on February 19, 2016 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
9. On March 3, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS and unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled together from LAX to JFX on American Airlines flight number 30 in connection with unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
10. On March 17, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the name M.W., traveled to LAX from JFX on American Airlines flight number 23 so that unindicted co-conspirator G.B. could obtain cocaine to distribute to customers on the East Coast.
11. On March 18, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS traveled to LAX from JFK on JetBlue flight number 423 to meet with unindicted co-conspirator G.B. in connection with unindicted co-conspirator
G.B.'s drug trafficking activities.
12. On March 18, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B. obtained approximately 26.9.4 kilograms of cocaine from a source of supply to distribute to customers on the East Coast.
13. On March 18, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B. secreted approximately 26.94 kilograms of cocaine into luggage that unindicted co-conspirator G.B. gave to defendant REYNOLDS to pass through a KCM access point at LAX.
14. On March 18, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS agreed to move unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s luggage through a KCM access point at LAX, and to provide unindicted co-conspirator G.B. with his luggage in a sterile area of the airport where unindicted co-conspirator G.B. would be waiting to board American Airlines flight number 10 that would be departing to JFK at 9:30 p.m.
15. On March 18, 2016, at approximately 7:15 p.m., defendant REYNOLDS abandoned unindicted co-conspirator G.B.'s luggage and fled LAX on foot when she realized that the luggage that unindicted co-conspirator G.B. had given to her to move through the KCM access point was about to be searched.
16. On March 18, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B., using the false name of M.W., fled from Los Angeles to New York on American Airlines flight number 10 from LAX to JFK.
17. On March 18, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS spoke with unindicted co-conspirator G.B., who told defendant REYNOLDS not to report to work at JetBlue airlines the following day to fly from LAX to JFK, and instructed defendant REYNOLDS to make plans to flee the United States to Jamaica.
18. On March 19, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS left Los Angeles for New York as a flight attendant on JetBlue flight number 124 traveling from LAX to JFK.
19. On March 20, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS failed to report to work at JFK airport.
20. On March 21, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS and unindicted co-conspirator G.B. met in New York, at which time unindicted co-conspirator G.B. instructed defendant REYNOLDS not to cooperate with law enforcement officers, and provided defendant REYNOLDS with an anonymous pre-paid "burner" telephone in an effort to prevent law enforcement from covertly monitoring their telephone conversations regarding their drug distribution activity.
21. On March 21, 2016, defendant REYNOLDS deleted her text message communications with unindicted co-conspirator G.B. from her personal cell phone to prevent law enforcement from obtaining evidence of their efforts to smuggle drugs and drug proceeds via commercial airline flights.
22. On March 23, 2016, unindicted co-conspirator G.B. fled from the United States to Jamaica by using the false name of J.B. to board American Airlines flight number 2243 from JFK to Miami and American Airlines flight number 1589 from Miami to Jamaica.