ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 6, 1996 TAG: 9612060045
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
A young man well known on the rave party scene as an Ecstasy dealer had branched out and become one of the Roanoke Valley's biggest cocaine traffickers before federal agents arrested him, according to the government.
Eric McCoy testified in federal court this week that he could make more than $40,000 a month just on his cocaine sales. He also sold Ecstasy, LSD, marijuana and methamphetamine.
"I was being led by dollar-bill signs," he said. "I never thought I'd be in this much trouble for something like this. To me, I was just making money."
His dealing had grown so big that by the time he was arrested by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in June, he faced 10 years to life in prison. Now, by cooperating with the government, he's hoping to get less than that.
"Five years is a good number for me to shoot for," the 21-year-old testified. "I think I'd lose my mind at 10.''
To earn credit for cooperating, McCoy had to turn in his cocaine supplier from Virginia Beach. He also gave agents information about others who helped him, including friends who dealt for him and his ex-girlfriend.
Eight defendants pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Wednesday to conspiracy to sell cocaine, Ecstasy, methamphetamine and LSD. Their sentences will vary widely, depending on individual involvement.
The one defendant who pleaded not guilty and went to trial was acquitted by a jury Thursday after just 10 minutes of deliberating. George Lynch of Stewartsville was accused of buying a total of 24 ounces of cocaine from McCoy three times this spring - close to $24,000 worth. Lynch testified that he had purchased only an ounce of marijuana from McCoy, a crime he was not charged with.
Lynch's attorney, David Walker, hammered away at inconsistencies in the testimony of McCoy and three other dealers. He also repeatedly told the jury that Lynch's co-defendants were testifying in hopes of getting shorter sentences.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Giorno said he wasn't surprised at the verdict and called Lynch the least involved of the 10 indicted. He said the government had to rely on drug dealers as witnesses because they're the ones who knew what was going on.
"The overall success [of the investigation] was not affected" by the acquittal, Giorno said, noting that McCoy - whom he called a "large-scale drug dealer" - was convicted and two of his suppliers indicted. One of those suppliers, from Washington, D.C., has not been located. He said the investigation continues.
Raves began as underground, all-night dance parties, but in Roanoke they were more open, held in commercial establishments and advertised. The scene is pretty much dead now, the defendants said.
Alcohol typically isn't sold at raves. But drugs - mainly stimulants and hallucinogens that keep users wired so they can dance for hours - usually are available for those who want them.
McCoy testified that although he supplied Ecstasy to ravers, the group's drug dealing had little to do with the rave scene. Many of the defendants didn't even attend raves regularly, he said.
Eric Halprin, who organized raves, was among the defendants who pleaded guilty. The 23-year-old graduate student was the first to get arrested, in June, and he set up McCoy.
Also pleading guilty Wednesday were: Thomas Brock Frederick, 23, of Virginia Beach, who supplied McCoy with cocaine; Stephen Crouch, 21, of Salem, who sold cocaine and LSD; Travis Entsminger, 20, of Roanoke, who sold cocaine to support his own habit; his father, Ronald Entsminger, 51, who sold cocaine and methamphetamine; Jason Murdock, 20, of Roanoke, who sold cocaine; Bethany Hoops, 19, now of New York City, who picked up cocaine for McCoy from Virginia Beach two times.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jackson Kiser allowed the defendants to remain on bond until their sentencings early next year. Several are in college and need to finish the semester and take final exams, their attorneys said.
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