North Las Vegas man guilty of cocaine sales

Tuesday, June 3, 1997 | 11:32 a.m.

A North Las Vegas man who alleged he was selectively prosecuted because of his race was found guilty on six crack cocaine charges in U.S. District Court.

A jury Monday returned verdicts against Roy Dean Grace, 37, on five counts of sale of a controlled substance and one count of possession with the intent to distribute. Sentencing before District Judge Philip Pro is set for Sept. 5.

Grace also was charged with two counts of assault against FBI agents, but the jury reached no verdict on one count and found him not guilty of the other.

First assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Zlotnick hailed the jury verdict, calling it a well-investigated case.

"It's a great victory and speaks well of all the law enforcement agencies involved," Zlotnick said. "This guy is a major criminal who has plagued the community for too long."

Grace was charged with selling drugs to an undercover FBI agent on five occasions last year. Authorities said they found more "cocaine base" and a scale with his fingerprints when they searched his home.

Zlotnick said Grace is a likely candidate for a life sentence, given his extensive criminal background.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Rene Valladares declined comment other than to say the case will be appealed. The defense argued Grace was the victim of selective prosecution through the Weed and Seed Task Force. They asserted the task force targets blacks.

But Pro and federal Magistrate Lawrence Leavitt both determined that Grace failed to prove his argument. The task force is made up of FBI, Metro Police and North Las Vegas Police.

"It is a successful program," Zlotnick said. "The argument that it is selective prosecution is a nonsensical argument. These are legitimate cases."