Nabbed fugitive to feds: Prove it!
An alleged drug dealer accused of using a series of aliases to dodge federal agents in Detroit for 15 years has refused to admit he is Mark Jones, a fugitive linked to the case of a hunted Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Jones wants federal prosecutors to prove his identity during an 11 a.m. hearing Friday in Los Angeles. During the hearing, prosecutors are expected to ask a federal magistrate judge to keep Jones locked up pending trial.
The defense tactic adds a new wrinkle to a long-running saga involving Jones, 50, who is the target of a federal grand jury investigation in Detroit. The Los Angeles man was arrested by federal investigators Tuesday while dropping off clothes at a dry cleaner in Studio City, California.
The arrest came four months after The Detroit News reported about the grand-jury investigation and Jones’ ties to a $200,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom that’s been leased, stolen, hidden and hunted by federal agents along a digital breadcrumb trail — and ridden in by rapper Snoop Dogg.
It is rare for a defendant to request an identity hearing, but in this case, perhaps not a surprise, said Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor.
“This is a little like a chase scene from a movie. He’s running down an aisle throwing things over his shoulder to slow (prosecutors) down,” Henning said. “Good luck.”
Prosecutors could verify his identify through fingerprints, dental records or bring in a witness, Henning said.
Jones, who allegedly has a real-estate empire worth $10 million, requested the detention hearing during a brief court appearance Tuesday. He is being represented, at least for now, by a court-appointed lawyer, who did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Jones was indicted on drug charges in federal court in Detroit in 2000 but the case was dismissed in 2008 because investigators couldn’t find him.
Jones was so good at hiding, prosecutors in Detroit indicted him under one of his aliases: Jerrell Hayworth.
Jones could be sent to Mississippi, where he was charged in 2008 with a drug crime after he allegedly mailed two kilograms of cocaine from California.
Though he was charged in federal court in Mississippi, federal agents couldn’t find him — until Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit is expected to file criminal charges soon related to the Jones investigation.
The only thing the U.S. Attorney’s Office will say publicly is that there was a drug conspiracy involving several people including Jones’ roommate, Carl Washington, an alleged courier who is awaiting trial in Detroit.
If Jones is charged, he could eventually be brought to Detroit to stand trial, Henning said. He doesn’t expect a fight between U.S. Attorneys in Detroit and Mississippi.
“I can’t see this one being very territorial,” Henning said. (U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade) may just call up Mississippi and say ‘look, here’s our case, we can get 30 years, you can get 10, can we get first crack at him?’
“This stuff is not hard to resolve.”
rsnell@detroitnews.com
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