A father from Fort Worth has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after conspiring to deal methamphetamine with his son.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton made the announcement Monday via a news release.
David Devaney Sr., 59, and his son, 36-year-old David Devaney Jr., were both found guilty in a federal court of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to court documents, Devaney Sr. was sentenced last Thursday, while his son David will be sentenced on May 4.
The pair’s co-conspirator, Cory Litts, 36, was found guilty of the same crime and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.
Law enforcement began investigating the Devaneys in June 2022 after a cooperating defendant identified Devaney Sr. as a methamphetamine distributor, according to court documents.
Amid the investigation, a 911 call about a 64 -year-old woman who was killed was made in Burleson.
Video footage showed that Devaney Sr.’s vehicle appeared to be involved in the incident, which is thought to be a drug deal gone bad. The woman killed was apparently an innocent bystander.
Officers followed the vehicle to a hotel parking lot and confronted the driver, Litts, and passenger Devaney Sr.
After searching Litts, officers found a baggy with methamphetamine amounting to 115 grams and a digital scale hidden inside his clothing.
When officers went to search Devaney Sr., he threw a shaving kit bag into the bushes nearby.
Officers found the bag in the bushes. After searching the bag, officers discovered over a kilogram of methamphetamine and a considerable amount of money.
After searching Devaney Sr., officers found a 40-caliber pistol tucked in his waistband.
Devaney Sr. is a 10-time felon.
According to court documents, authorities took Devaney Sr.’s son David into custody after his father’s arrest in connection with the shooting.
While law enforcement interrogated Devaney Jr., he denied being involved in the shooting but admitted there were drugs.
He said that his father “just went off the deep end… and he started selling drugs,” according to the release.
He said his dad “just kept sucking me in,” the release read.
The state also filed capital murder charges against the Devaneys and several others for their alleged roles in the woman’s death.
“The dangerous culture created by drug trafficking impacts all of us, creating a terminal plague that ruins the livelihood of our communities,” said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes Jr. in a statement.
“As long as this illicit activity exists, we are all susceptible to the violence and societal ills of the drug trade.”
