INDIANAPOLIS — An attorney representing a Seymour woman who authorities say had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel has asked a federal judge to postpone her sentencing while a funding request for a mental health evaluation remains pending.
Indianapolis attorney Denise L. Turner, who is representing Seymour resident Allison Perdue, asked a judge on Tuesday to delay her July 9 sentencing hearing at least two months, according to court filings in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
Turner states in the filing that a mitigation specialist has been retained to help prepare for sentencing but is on medical leave until July 18. In addition, Perdue’s attorney said she “is also awaiting approval for a funding request for a mental health evaluation” and is scheduled to be in a separate multi-day trial starting July 8.
In May, a federal judge agreed to postpone Perdue’s sentencing from May 23 to July after Turner requested the delay because she “because she “believes additional assistance from a mental health expert is necessary to prepare for sentencing,” according to court filings.
Should a judge sign off on Turner’s latest request, Perdue’s sentencing could be pushed back until at least Sept. 7.
Currently, it is unclear if federal prosecutors oppose the requested delay. Turner states in the filing that she contacted Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Brady to obtain the government’s position but did not receive a response before filing the request.
The request to postpone sentencing comes one day after federal prosecutors revealed in a court filing that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had seized a semiautomatic 9mm pistol and 14 rounds of ammunition from Perdue.
Perdue is potentially facing life in prison over her alleged role in a conspiracy to transport drugs from the U.S.-Mexico border and distribute them in Bartholomew County and elsewhere.
Last year, Perdue filed a petition to plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, according to court filings.
Each charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release, court records state.
Federal authorities allege that Perdue and more than a dozen other individuals, including several residents of Bartholomew and Jackson counties, were part of a drug trafficking network that used a number of couriers and mailing companies to transport methamphetamine and other substances from the U.S.-Mexico border to Indianapolis.
From there, the drugs would be handed off to other individuals to distribute in other areas of central and southern Indiana, including Bartholomew and Jackson Counties, according to court filings.
Drug Enforcement Administration officials told The Republic in 2022 that the members of the drug trafficking ring were some of the biggest suppliers of drugs in Bartholomew and Jackson counties — including methamphetamine and fentanyl — and had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, which experts say controls a wholesale distribution network in the U.S. and elsewhere to get drugs into the hands of local street dealers.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities learned that Perdue was responsible for distributing methamphetamine in southern Indiana, according to her petition to plead guilty.
On Dec. 30, 2021, a co-defendant in the case met Perdue at a Columbus motel to deliver methamphetamine to her, the petition states. About a week later, Perdue distributed 84 grams of methamphetamine to an unnamed individual in Columbus on behalf of Seymour resident Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, who also was charged.
On Feb. 25, 2022, Perdue and Vazquez-Hernandez distributed methamphetamine out of a Columbus motel room, at one point receiving two pounds of the drug from two other co-defendants, who authorities allege were acting at the direction of Ayala-Garcia.
On at least two occasions, two defendants involved in the alleged conspiracy delivered two to three pounds of methamphetamine to Ayala-Garcia at his place of employment, the SalvaMex restaurant on the east side of Columbus, court records state.
Federal agents executed a search warrant of a room at the Knights Inn in Seymour in the early morning of April 28, 2022, finding Perdue to be the lone occupant of the hotel room, the petition states. During a search of the room, agents seized a backpack that contained 507 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded gun that belonged to Vazquez-Hernandez.
Other local residents who were arrested as part of the alleged conspiracy include Claudio Garcia-Morales of Columbus, Abel Ayala-Garcia of Columbus, Victor Vazquez-Hernandez of Seymour and Erlin Lucero-Asencio, who is a former Columbus resident.
Vazquez-Hernandez was recently sentenced to 10 years, seven months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Garcia-Morales also was recently sentenced to three years and 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Ayala-Garcia and Lucero-Asencio have refused to accept plea agreements with federal authorities and are currently scheduled to go to trial Aug. 26.