MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Amanda Jennifer Freeman was sentenced for her role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Freeman was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis on August 4, 2026. Freeman is the sixth and final defendant to be sentenced in United States v. Shiloe Devanglo Nixon et al. The six defendants were sentenced to a total of 540 months in prison.Together, the actions of these individuals enabled a large‑scale flow of fentanyl pills from Arizona into Minnesota. Their roles included sourcing and transporting drugs to storing and redistributing them, forming a coordinated operation responsible for nearly 30 kilograms of fentanyl pills intended for distribution throughout Minnesota and elsewhere.The defendants received the following sentences:Shiloe Devanglo Nixon, 37, of Woodbury, Minnesota: 180 months’ imprisonment with five years of supervised release for role in conspiracy to distribute fentanylMalik Deronte Nixon, 30, of Woodbury, Minnesota: 180 months’ imprisonment with five years of supervised release for role in conspiracy to distribute fentanyl Ernesto Alexis Seals, 28, of Welch, Minnesota: 120 months’ imprisonment with five years of supervised release for role in conspiracy to distribute fentanylJustin Keith Banks, 37, of Rush City, Minnesota: 60 months’ imprisonment with four years of supervised release for role in conspiracy to distribute fentanyl Amanda Jennifer Freeman, 38, of St. Paul, Minnesota: time served with two years of supervised releasefor role in conspiracy to distribute fentanylZakiya Niajoneu Whitney, 25, of San Tan Valley, Arizona: time served with two years of supervised release for role in conspiracy to distribute fentanylAccording to court documents, beginning in September 2023 and continuing through on or about March 2024, Shiloe Nixon and Malik Nixon, conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Shiloe Nixon and Malik Nixon enlisted others to bring fentanyl pills from their source in Arizona to the Twin Cities. Once the pills arrived in the Twin Cities, the Nixons distributed them to lower-level dealers, who then distributed the pills to others.On February 5, 2024, the Nixons received a shipment of fentanyl pills from Freeman, who drove the pills from Arizona to the Twin Cities and stored the pills at a rental home in St. Paul, Minnesota. The next day, police executed a search warrant of the rental home and seized almost 9.7 kilograms of fentanyl pills. Roughly a month later, a New Mexico State Police trooper stopped Whitney’s car on Interstate 40. Whitney consented to a search of her car, and the trooper seized roughly 10 kilograms of fentanyl pills. Those pills were supposed to be delivered to the Nixons and were intended for further distribution in Minnesota. Finally, just weeks after the New Mexico seizure, Shiloe Nixon and Malik Nixon were driving back to Minnesota from Phoenix where they had picked up roughly 9.7 kilograms of fentanyl pills from their source. A Minnesota State Patrol trooper stopped the Nixons’ car, searched it, and found the pills divided among nine clear plastic bags and concealed in a backpack. In addition to the Nixons, Freeman, and Whitney, co-conspirators in the operation included Ernesto Seals, and Justin Banks.From September 2023 through November 2023, Ernesto Seals was regularly supplied with fentanyl pills that he distributed to others. On November 7, 2023, police executed a search warrant of Seals’ home and found a .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol that he possessed in connection with his fentanyl distribution.From October 2023 through November 2023, Justin Banks obtained fentanyl pills from his supplier and distributed them to his customers.Shiloe Nixon, Malik Nixon, and Banks had multiple prior felony convictions…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice