LOREN POGUE
#13982-079
Offense: cocaine conspiracy (5 or more kilos) and money laundering
Sentence: 27 years reduced to 22 years
Date of Sentencing: 5/8/91
Date of Birth: 3/7/34
Court: 11th Circuit, Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division
Priors: Was placed on probation for 3 years in 1975 for obtaining airline tickets at a military discount rate even though he was retired from the Air Force and no longer qualified for the cheaper fares; was sentenced to 3 years in 1981 for filing false income tax returns by under-reporting income from various business deals involving motels, bars, and restaurants he owned.
Nature of Offense:
Loren Pogue was a businessman who managed several ventures in Costa Rica, including a real estate business. In 1990, one of his part-time real estate employees, Mitch Henderson, asked Loren for assistance in closing a land deal. Loren flew with his wife to Tampa, Florida to meet with Henderson and the buyers. The buyers turned out to be a group of cocaine importers who were looking for a patch of land on which they could build an airstrip and fly in cocaine. Loren needed the commission from the sale, and though he denies having been told the full details of the importation scheme, he admits that he closed his eyes to the fact that the buyers were involved in illegal activities. As a real estate agent, he didn't think he could be held responsible for what his clients did with the property. And besides, he knew that the buyers would not be able to actually use the land--it was too rocky and mountainous for anyone to build an airstrip on it.
Loren took his commission, $83,000, and was immediately arrested. He found out that Henderson had become a paid confidential informant, and that Henderson and several undercover agents had been working to bust the cocaine ring. Unfortunately for Loren, Henderson had dragged him into the scheme to add another arrest to the tally. (Henderson was ultimately paid $250,000 for his services.)
Loren was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine, as well as money laundering for accepting money he knew came from illegal drug proceeds. Though he admitted to the government that he was guilty of the money laundering charge, he rejected a plea bargain of 12.5 years so he could go to trial and fight the conspiracy charges. He was convicted by Judge Nickolas Tsoucalas after a five-day trial.
Guideline Sentence:
Loren's original base offense level was 40 based on the amount of cocaine the buyers said they were going to import, which was 1,000 kilograms a month. With a criminal history category of II and no enhancements or reductions, Loren's guideline range was 324-405 months. When the guidelines were later changed to cap base offense levels for drug offenses at 38, Loren's guideline range went down by five years and he was resentenced to 264 months.
Personal Background:
After serving for twenty years in the U.S. Air Force, Loren obtained his college degree and his real estate license. A member of the Masons, the Shriners, the Lions Club, the American Legion, and the VFW, he also worked as a missionary for the Church of God and supported various children's homes. He was so committed to helping children that over a period of forty years he adopted 16 orphans and raised them along with his twelve natural children. At the time of his incarceration, Loren had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
compiled from PSR and inmate information
10/1/00 dl
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