A Seattle man was convicted in U.S. District Court Thursday for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Friday.
Anthony Raymond Dodd, 36, had prior convictions for robbery, burglary, and sexually assaulting a homeowner during a residential burglary.
Seattle man guilty of possessing fentanyl and illegal firearm
Dodd was convicted following a three-day trial. The jury deliberated for approximately six hours before returning a guilty verdict to the judge. In a second proceeding, Dodd was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Dodd was scheduled to meet with his community corrections officer on February 22, 2024, according to records filed in the case and trial testimonies.
Law enforcement received a report that Dodd was in possession of a firearm and selling fentanyl pills. Additional corrections officers followed Dodd on his way to meet with his assigned corrections officer.
While Dodd met with his corrections officer, his car was kept under surveillance. The DOJ noted that Dodd failed to truthfully answer questions about the guns and drugs during the meeting.
Corrections officers searched Dodd’s vehicle and found two bags of fentanyl pills in the center console. A loaded handgun sitting on top of the pills was also found.
DNA consistent with Dodd’s was found on the trigger and magazine of the firearm. Law enforcement searched Dodd’s apartment and found $1,460 and fentanyl pills hidden in a heating vent. A request for “blues” — a street term for fentanyl pills — was also discovered in a receiving text message on Dodd’s phone.
Dodd’s defense argued in his trial that he borrowed the car where the firearm and fentanyl pills were found. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecilia Gregson told the jury that Dodd “was the last person in that car” in her closing arguments at the trial.
“This is a ‘cautionary tale’ about a defendant thinking he could commit crimes on the way to and from his Department of Corrections appointment,” prosecutors in the case stated.
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun scheduled a second trial to limit the jury’s knowledge of Dodd’s criminal history. The trial was for whether Dodd illegally possessed the firearm since he is a convicted felon. After jurors briefly deliberated, they returned a guilty verdict.
The DOJ releases noted possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute is punishable by a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years. Possession of a firearm in support of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by a minimum of five years in prison to run consecutively with all drug trafficking sentences. Unlawful possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.