Seddrick Damond Banks

After a 7-day trial, a federal jury found 28-year-old Seddrick Banks of Cartersville guilty of drug distribution resulting in death and a myriad of other charges.

After two hours of deliberation, the jury found Banks guilty of one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances,” one count of “Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine – Aiding and Abetting,” one count of “Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride – Aiding and Abetting,” one count of “Possession with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl – Aiding and Abetting,” one count of “Use and Carry a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime,” and one count of “Accessory After the Fact to Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury or Death.”

During the trial, the jury heard testimony that Banks trafficked and distributed more than 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as cocaine hydrochloride and fentanyl, from May 2018 to September 2018. He would travel from Georgia to West Virginia, trafficking the drugs from different motel and hotel rooms and other locations. Banks and his conspirators carried at least three firearms during the drug trafficking crimes.

At a motel in West Virginia on August 9, 2019, Terrick Robinson, a co-conspirator, distributed fentanyl to Courtney Dubois of Fairmont, West Virginia. That drug, according to her autopsy, was an independently sufficient cause of Courtney Dubois’ death. The jury heard testimony and saw evidence that Banks assisted Robinson in taking the victim’s body to Georgia, where they dismembered the body and disposed of it at the Bartow County Landfill.

WV News reports as he was led from the courtroom following the verdict, Banks reportedly mouthed an obscenity and made an obscene gesture in the direction of DuBois’s mother.

Banks faces the following:

  • Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances – at least ten years and up to life incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000,000
  • Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine – Aiding and Abetting – at least ten years and up to life incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000,000
  • Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride – Aiding and Abetting – up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000
  • Possession with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl – Aiding and Abetting – at least five years and up to 40 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000
  • Use and Carry a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime – at least five years and up to life incarceration and up to a $250,000 fine
  • Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury or Death –up to 15 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $500,000

 

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Two of the co-conspirators in this case have pled guilty. 34-year-old William Gregory Chappell of Cartersville pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances” and one count of “Use and Carry a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime” in February 2019. 39-year-old Joel Jimenez, also of Cartersville, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances” in October 2019. Both men were a part of the drug distribution operation from Georgia to West Virginia.

Another defendant in this case, 36-year-old Terrick Robinson of Cartersville, was sentenced to life in prison plus ten years after being found guilty after a nine-day trial of multiple charges related to this case.