A 29-year-old Oxford man who ran a marijuana growing and distribution operation was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison by a United States District Judge in Hartford.
Cheyne Mazza’s imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release. He must also pay a fine of $50,000.
United States Attorney David B. Fein announced the sentencing in a press release Monday.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between March 2008 and January 2010, Mazza led a conspiracy that included his sister, Sterling Mazza of Oxford, Joseph Cassetti of Ansonia, James Canavan of Ansonia and others, to manufacture and distribute large quantities of marijuana.
Much of the marijuana was grown at properties owned by Cassetti located at 72 Root Avenue and 63 Root Avenue in Ansonia, as well as at 21 Pawnee Road in Oxford, a Cassetti family property that had been rented to Cheyne Mazza, according to the press release.
Cassetti lived at 72 Root Avenue, and Canavan and Sterling Mazza were Cassetti’s tenants at 63 Root Avenue.
Fein said Mazza installed special electrical service and lighting to cultivate the marijuana at those locations, and provided the plants and other equipment.
After the marijuana was cultivated, Cheyne Mazza distributed it to a network of street dealers, the press release said.
In November 2008, the Drug Enforcement Administration and local police executed state search and seizure warrants at the Ansonia and Oxford properties and seized more than 1,400 marijuana plants and equipment used to grow and process marijuana.
One marijuana plant can yield approximately one pound of dried marijuana.
Cheyne Mazza has been detained since his arrest in Derby on Dec. 1, 2009, when law enforcement found him in possession of more than two pounds of marijuana, according to the press release.
Government prosecutors presented evidence to the court that, while detained, Cheyne Mazza threatened witnesses and instructed individuals not to make statements, not to testify before the grand jury, and to make false statements.
On May 18 of this year, Mazza pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants.
Sterling Mazza, Cassetti and Canavan each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants.
On Aug. 23, 2011, Sterling Mazza and Cassetti were sentenced to 37 months in prison, and Canavan was sentenced to 46 months of imprisonment. Cassetti also was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, and has forfeited $100,000 to the government.
As part of this case, Cheyne Mazza has also forfeited two vehicles, a 2005 BMW M5 and a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, Fein said.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force, notably the Ansonia Police Department. The Task Force also includes participants from the New Haven, Meriden, Hamden, West Haven and Branford Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Sullivan and Michael Runowicz.
