Cannabis Conspiracy Case Study: Missy Giove and Eric Canori
The cannabis conspiracy involving Missy Giove and Eric Canori in 2009 resulted in the seizure of $12 million in assets, primarily in gold bars.
Feds Share $8.9 Million With Local Law Enforcement Agencies
Forfeited Assets from 2009 drug case distributed to 33 law enforcement agencies
- ALBANY, NEW YORK – United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced today the distribution of $12,515,738 which represented the proceeds of assets seized in a marijuana distribution conspiracy. Of the total assets, $8,923,708.19 have been distributed to thirty-three law enforcement agencies in the Capitol District area and as far away as Illinois and California. Joining in the announcement was Wilbert L. Plummer, Associate Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division, of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and James R. Burns, Jr., Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Albany District Office, of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The remaining $3,592,029.81 went to the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program. The primary mission of the Program is to employ asset forfeiture powers in a manner that enhances public safety and security. Asset forfeiture laws are intended to enable law enforcement agencies to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations and deprive them of their illegal profits.
U.S. Attorney Hartunian stated, “What started as a simple traffic stop in Illinois turned into a well-orchestrated, multi-state effort involving the collaboration of many agencies resulting in the sentencing of five drug traffickers and forfeiture of millions of dollars of assets. By attacking large scale drug trafficking organizations and stripping them of their ill-gotten profits, we make a hard-hitting impact, stopping the distribution of drugs and ensuring the safety of our communities. We are pleased to use our federal resources to provide these forfeited assets to our partner agencies.”
DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt stated, “Canori reaped millions from the illicit sale of marijuana in the Albany area contributing to drug abuse and drug addiction. Due to law enforcement’s cooperation, those millions will now be used to stop drug trafficking, curb drug abuse and support law enforcement’s ongoing efforts to keep our cities safe and secure.”
The case started on June 13, 2009 when Illinois State Police found approximately 334 pounds of marijuana hidden in a car trailer during a routine traffic stop. The drugs were intended to be transported from California to upstate New York for distribution. Through a controlled delivery executed with the Albany DEA Office, the delivery was completed, resulting in the arrest of three co-conspirators, Melissa Giove, Eric Canori and Robert Reinfurt, and eventually two others, Pamela Grosch and Sara Shafer. All five were later convicted in U.S. District Court for drug offenses.
At the time of his arrest, $1,473,543 in cash was seized from Eric Canori’s Wilton residence, along with approximately 40 pounds of marijuana. A subsequent search of a home in Ross, CA, rented by Canori, resulted in the seizure of an additional $688,660. Law enforcement agents were later provided with the locations of buried gold and silver bars and coins. 172 gold bars, 161 gold coins and a one hundred ounce silver bar were recovered, forfeited and eventually auctioned. Two pickup trucks and one trailer were also seized and forfeited.
As set forth below, agencies receiving a share of the $8,923,708.19 of forfeited assets include twenty local police departments, sheriff’s offices and district attorney’s offices, four New York State agencies and one federal agency. Additionally four Illinois law enforcement agencies and four California law enforcement agencies shared in the distribution. All received a percentage of the shared assets because of their cooperative work on the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Belliss.
U.S. v. Canori et al. asset sharing Chart
TOTAL ASSETS SEIZED & DISTRIBUTED $12,515,738.00
Distributions to law enforcement agencies $8,923,708.19
Distribution to Federal Asset Forfeiture Program $3,592,029.81
SPECIFIC AGENCY | SHARES | AGENCY’S SHARE
New York State agencies
Albany County District Attorney’s Office $103,627.70
Albany Police Department $473,297.05
Bethlehem Police Department $85,474.76
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office $471,239.39
East Greenbush Police Department $85,474.76
NYS Department of Corrections $471,239.39
NYS National Guard $34,407.16
NYS Office of the Attorney General $56,871.94
New York State Police* $471,239.39
New York County District Attorney’s Office $482,146.37
Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office $471,239.39
Rotterdam Police Department $18,518.94
Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office $122,146.64
Saratoga Springs Police Department $467,408.37
Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office* $452,720.45
Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office $46,233.03
Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office* $414,367.45
Schenectady Police Department $471,239.39
Troy Police Department $471,239.39
Warren County Sheriff’s Office $499,459.55
Warren County District Attorney’s Office $46,233.03
Washington County District Attorney’s Office $46,233.03
Washington County Sheriff’s Office $471,239.39
Watervliet Police Department $385,951.65
New York State agencies’ share sub-total $7,119,247.61
Illinois State agencies
Geneseo, IL Police Department $212,036.82
Henry County, IL State’s Attorney’s Office $241,506.19
Illinois State Police $752,540.96
Quad City Metro Enforcement Group, IL $241,506.19
Illinois State agencies’ share sub-total $1,447,590.16
California State agencies
Marin Major Crimes Task Force, CA $172,137.03
Petaluma, CA Police Department $14,560.37
Ross, CA Police Department $34,427.41
Santa Rosa, CA Police Department $10,261.97
California State agencies’ share sub-total $231,386.78
Federal agency
IRS $125,483.64
Federal agency’s share sub-total $125,483.64
TOTAL AGENCY SHARED ASSETS $8,923,708.19
Updated August 18, 2015
Component USAO - New York, Northern
Press Release Monday, September 8, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York
Chesapeake, VA
June 13, 2009
On June 13, 2009, around 8:39 p.m. (CST), a white Ford F-150 truck hauling a white utility trailer was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80, just a few miles into Illinois. An Illinois State Police officer’s patrol car, with radar activated and pointed westbound, detected the F-150 traveling seven miles over the speed limit. As the officer engaged the speeding vehicle, the F-150 changed lanes and reduced speed, eventually coming to a stop on the right shoulder of the roadway. As the officer approached the vehicle, he noticed a North Carolina temporary registration tag affixed to it.
The ISP officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle and noticed a McDonald’s bag with scattered fries on the floor of the F-150, along with a middle-aged white female behind the wheel.
The officer asked the driver for her license and registration as they spoke. The driver revealed that her boss, Missy Giove—a professional athlete—had hired her to drive the truck and trailer to New York for drop-off. The officer continued speaking with the driver, who mentioned that she had known Giove only since November 2008, which seemed odd for a new employee entrusted with such responsibility.
The driver’s breathing became rapid, and she appeared nervous as she opened the center console, exposing three bundles of cash—each marked as $1,000—while searching for the vehicle’s paperwork.
The driver produced the registration and bill of sale for the white enclosed trailer but could not locate the F-150 rental agreement. The officer asked her to accompany him to the squad car to receive a written warning for the violation.
During additional questioning, the ISP officer asked the driver if there would be any problem conducting a free-air test with a K9 unit; she claimed no knowledge of the trailer’s contents. K9 Rocco arrived on the scene and alerted to both the truck and the trailer. Law enforcement then secured the keys from the center console and discovered over 334 pounds of marijuana in the trailer.
The address that Giove used when she purchased the utility trailer a week before the arrest differed from the city of origin listed on her Northern District of New York Court Order for Conditions of Release, dated June 22, 2009. Giove had been arrested in November 2008 for assault on a minor and resisting arrest in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The minor was the child of Giove’s ex-girlfriend, who resided at the Chesapeake, Virginia, address. That case was superseded by the DEA’s federal case in Saratoga Springs, New York, and was dismissed on the day Giove was arrested in Saratoga Springs.
The dismissal of the November 2008 assault case in Virginia Beach, VA occurred on the same day as her 2009 DEA arrest, followed by a proffer session, alluding to a strategic cooperation with authorities.
Melissa Giove used her previous residential address when she purchased the utility trailer, although she had recently been married and the address on the rental agreement for the F-150 matched Giove’s residential address as listed on the conditions of release, which specified Virginia Beach, Virginia.
As a result, many news articles stated that Missy Giove’s residence was Chesapeake, Virginia.
NOVEMBER 23, 2011
The Docket’s summary:
In the criminal proceedings United States v. Giove (Case No. 1:09-cr-00661-GLS), Melissa Giove entered into a cooperation agreement as an integral component of her guilty plea on December 21, 2009, to a single count of attempted possession with intent to distribute marijuana under 21 U.S.C. § 841.
This plea was filed via criminal information, waiving indictment, and served as a mechanism to resolve charges stemming from her role in a 2009 marijuana trafficking operation involving approximately 334 pounds of the substance transported from California to New York. The agreement was documented in Docket Entry 4 and partially sealed (Docket Entries 6-8), reflecting the sensitive nature of her proffered information. Giove committed to providing full, truthful, and complete cooperation with federal authorities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. This encompassed debriefings, proffers, and testimony if required, aimed at assisting in the investigation and prosecution of co-conspirators and related individuals in the broader trafficking network.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduced sentence, contingent on the quality and extent of Missy Giove’s assistance. Specifically, the government pledged to file a motion under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines § 5K1.1 for a downward departure if her cooperation constituted “substantial assistance” in the administration of justice. The plea also stipulated that Giove would not appeal any sentence exceeding 60 months (5 years), capping potential challenges while incentivizing compliance.
Absent cooperation, Giove faced a statutory maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment and a $2 million fine. The agreement facilitated a pathway to leniency, with the government initially recommending 24 to 30 months’ imprisonment, at least 4 years of supervised release, and a $25,000 fine—provisions that were ultimately adjusted downward based on her performance.
Missy Giove’s assistance was deemed substantial, contributing directly to the dismantling of the conspiracy. Following her arrest on June 16, 2009, during a traffic stop in Wilton, New York, she provided critical intelligence that facilitated additional arrests and asset forfeitures.
Notably:
• Her information led to the convictions of co-defendants Eric Canori and Robert Reinfurt, as well as subsequent indictments and guilty pleas from Pamela Grosch and Sara Shafer, expanding the case from three to five defendants. Excluding the additional cases to spawn from Missy Giove’s cooperation. The case files related to the driver of the F150 and utility trailer stopped in Moline, Illinois, Tammy Gaegley, are located on PACER.
•Through Missy Giove’s cooperation, authorities seized over $12.5 million in illicit assets, including $1.47 million in cash from Canori’s residence, gold and silver bars, coins, and vehicles. A portion ($8.92 million) was equitably shared among 33 law enforcement agencies in 2015, underscoring the collaborative value of her contributions.
This assistance prompted multiple sentencing adjournments (from March 2010 to November 2011) to allow for ongoing debriefings and investigative follow-through, as reflected in Docket Entries 10-15 and subsequent unarchived filings.
On November 23, 2011, Chief Judge Gary L. Sharpe granted the government’s § 5K1.1 motion, sentencing Giove to time served (7 days of pretrial detention), 6 months of home detention, and 5 years of supervised release, with no additional incarceration or fine imposed.
This represented a significant variance from the advisory guideline range and the government’s recommendation, directly attributable to her cooperation.
Missy Giove expressed remorse during the hearing, citing financial pressures from prior head injuries sustained in her mountain biking career.
The Second Circuit affirmed the judgment, including forfeiture orders, in United States v. Canori (Docket No. 12-4837) on December 4, 2013, without altering the cooperation-based reductions.
This overview is based on publicly available court records and contemporaneous reporting sealed portions of the agreement limit granular disclosure of specific proffer.
Source: PACER/Northern District of New York
