A 574 pound Waterloo man who argued the state prison system couldn’t handle his care has been sentenced to 14 years in prison on drug charges. Thirty-two-year-old Michael Washington had pleaded guilty in January to making his home available for the storage of crack cocaine. Washington admitted that in October of 2001, an associate ordered the drug from a source in California. The crack cocaine was sent through the U.S. mail.
Washington and his wife attempted to get the package from the Postal Service, but were not successful. Officers seized the package and found more than 100 grams of the illegal drug. The package was then resealed and delivered to Washington’s home. Authorities then searched the home and found Washington in the basement, with the open package.
Washington also admitted to being involved in the sale of crack cocaine since 1996. He was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Washington had contended that he was too obese and in too poor of health to be adequately cared for by the Bureau of Prisons. He asked for a sentence of home confinement. The court held that the prison system was able to address any of his medical needs, then sentenced him to 168 months in prison.