A Cleveland man, Clarence Payne, 40, has been sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker handed down the 170-month sentence on November 18 after a federal jury found Payne guilty of several charges related to distributing cocaine, possessing firearms in connection with drug trafficking, and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
Payne’s prior convictions include multiple counts of drug trafficking between 2005 and 2011, as well as aggravated assault and drug possession in 2011. In addition to his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release following his incarceration.
Court documents and trial evidence showed that during the summer of 2023, Payne supplied cocaine to co-conspirator Harold Pearl, who then sold it on Cleveland’s west side. Pearl arranged sales with buyers before meeting Payne for the drugs and later returned proceeds from these transactions. Undercover agents purchased cocaine from Pearl—supplied by Payne—on six occasions in June through August 2023. Law enforcement arrested Payne at his home where they found bags containing cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, a firearm, and drug paraphernalia.
Pearl pleaded guilty for his involvement in the operation and was sentenced in January 2025 to nearly four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with support from the Cleveland Division of Police and other agencies during a violent crime reduction initiative conducted in summer 2023.
Assistant United States Attorneys Adam J. Joines and Jennifer King prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
