Defendants Plead Guilty In Red Lake Heroin Conspiracy That Resulted In Two Deaths

Two defendants have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin on the Red Lake Reservation that resulted in the shooting deaths of two individuals. According to United States Attorney Erica H. Macdonald, Bryan “Boon” Boardman, 25, of Minneapolis and Franklin “Frankie” Jackson, 23, entered their guilty pleas last Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.

According to the defendants’ guilty pleas and documents filed in court, Boardman, Jackson and a third co-defendant, Kristopher Sullivan, 24, conspired with each other to distribute heroin on the Red Lake Reservation, between October 1^st and October 21^st of 2018. In the early morning hours of October 21^st, Boardman, Jackson and Sullivan met in a trailer, belonging to Jackson’s girlfriend, on the reservation. The three defendants made preparations to sell heroin that day, which included contacting potential customers to let them know that the heroin would be available for sale at the trailer.

The defendants’ drug activities were interrupted at 6:30 a.m. when three armed, masked men broke into their trailer in an apparent robbery attempt. Boardman drew a 9-millimeter pistol and fired eight shots, killing two of the intruders. The third intruder was wounded in the leg by gunfire and fled the scene.

The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S attorneys Jeffery S. Paulsen and Julie E. Allyn are prosecuting the case.