United States of America v. Mark Ellis

Nashville, Tennessee criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Selling Fentanyl while on Bond.

Clarksville Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Selling Fentanyl while on Bond in State Court for Murder

Mark Ellis, 30, of Clarksville, Tennessee was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison today for selling fentanyl while on bond for state murder charges, announced Henry C. Leventis, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.



Ellis was convicted in May 2023 after a jury trial for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Sale of Fentanyl, Possession of over 400 grams of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon. The evidence admitted at trial showed that in January 2022, while on bond for a first degree murder indictment, Ellis sold a fentanyl mixture to a confidential informant working at the direction of law enforcement. The evidence showed that Ellis possessed a 9mm pistol during this drug deal. A search warrant was later executed at the home of one of Ellis' family members in Clarksville where officers seized a pound of fentanyl. At trial, the prosecution played a recording between Ellis and his co-conspirator, Yennifer Angeles, made while Ellis was in jail after his arrest, in which Ellis and Angeles made plans to continue drug trafficking activities even while Ellis remained incarcerated. Angeles pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and was sentenced in August 2023.



Ellis was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. at a sentencing hearing this morning. He was previously indicted in Clarksville for murder. That case remains pending in state criminal court.



"Fentanyl continues to poison countless people throughout Middle Tennessee,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. "Combating fentanyl trafficking is a top priority for this office and we will continue to work aggressively to hold accountable those who deal this deadly drug. Today's sentence should send a clear message that fentanyl dealers face serious consequences.”



The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clarksville Police Department.

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to