Lewiston Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

LEWISTON, Maine — Dashane Seamster, 30, of Lewiston, pleaded guilty May 8 in U.S. District Court in Maine to federal drug-trafficking charges that expose him to a statutory maximum of life imprisonment.

The plea covers conduct that falls under statutes prohibiting the distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The Department of Justice release does not specify the exact substance or quantity involved in the counts to which Seamster allocuted.

Seamster is the sole named defendant in the case. Federal sentencing guidelines will now apply to determine the final prison term, supervised release period and any fines, based on the quantity of drugs, Seamster’s criminal history and other factors the probation office must calculate before the judge imposes sentence. The plea agreement itself was not detailed in the release.

The guilty plea shifts the case from the trial calendar to a sentencing docket. A date for sentencing has not been set. Upon sentencing, Seamster will be committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Any appeal rights he retains will be limited by the plea agreement’s waiver provisions, which are standard in such cases.

Downstream, the conviction requires the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine to prepare a presentence investigation report through the U.S. Probation Office. The court must then hold a sentencing hearing at which both parties may argue for specific guideline applications.

If forfeiture of property or cash is alleged, separate proceedings will establish the government’s claim to those assets.

This case forms part of the routine enforcement docket of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. The Department of Justice announcement follows the standard template used for plea dispositions, which routinely note the maximum penalties carried by the statutes of conviction.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice