Pablo Lopez has two pieces this week in the Fresno Bee on pretrial filings in the Keith Foster drug trafficking case that is scheduled to begin trial in Fresno on May 9. The April 2 article discusses some of the wiretap pleadings and the April 3 piece summarizes the prosecution's trial brief. Here are the first few paragraphs of the second:
Keith Foster blames his family for getting involved in drug dealing and losing his job as deputy chief of the Fresno Police Department, according to a trial brief filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Fresno.
The brief divulges new information about the evidence against Foster, the former No. 2 man for Police Chief Jerry Dyer, and his co-defendants. It also suggests that Foster would have used his connections within the police department to protect one of his nephews who was caught with six pounds of marijuana.
The 15-page brief, filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Duce Rice, gives details about what Foster said to an FBI agent after his arrest in March 2015.
A federal indictment charges Foster with participating in three separate conspiracies involving two of his nephews and their friends to distribute heroin, oxycodone pills and marijuana.
So far, four defendants, including Foster’s nephew, Denny Foster, have accepted plea agreements. Keith Foster, his nephew Randy Flowers, and Ricky Reynolds are scheduled to stand trial in federal court on May 9.