HARRISBURG, Pa. — A former Harrisburg bar owner will serve 20 years in prison after being convicted of cocaine trafficking and weapons charges last year.
Saqueena "Queenie" Williams, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher S. Conner at a hearing on Oct. 27, according to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam.
A jury convicted Williams on charges of drug trafficking and possessing guns in furtherance of drug trafficking in November 2021.
According to evidence presented at trial, on February 1, 2018, law enforcement officers seized drugs and guns during a court-authorized search of her home and other properties associated with Williams and her coconspirator, Nyree Letterlough, 51, also of Harrisburg.
Williams, the operator of Queenies Café, was convicted after a week-long jury trial of running a drug trafficking conspiracy from 2012 to 2018. The jury found that Williams trafficked in excess of five kilograms of cocaine and that she possessed guns in furtherance of her drug trafficking operation.
Williams also surrendered her interests in Queenies Café, located in Harrisburg, as well as the liquor license and other properties.
Letterlough was also convicted at the above-referenced trial and was sentenced on Aug. 29, 2022, to 111 months imprisonment. She surrendered her interests in Grams Grill, located in Harrisburg, and another real estate property.
At Williams’ sentencing, Judge Conner resolved issues pertaining to the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines after hearing arguments from the parties.
The sentence of 20 years in prison imposed by Judge Conner was within the sentencing guideline range and the applicable mandatory minimum sentence required by law.
