Convicted murderer already serving life in prison sentenced to additional 35 years for running drug distribution and money laundering operation from state custody

ATLANTA - Jarvis Matthews has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for his role in leading a multi-million-dollar drug trafficking and money laundering operation from the confines of Calhoun State Prison. After a trial in October 2025, a federal jury found Matthews guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl, five counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and money laundering conspiracy. When he committed his federal crimes, Matthews was already serving sentences of life with possible parole for murder and felony murder convictions, following fatal shootings in 2001 and 2002 in Atlanta. The murders occurred during robberies at apartments where Matthews had lured victims expecting to buy tire rims and marijuana.

"This convicted murderer brazenly used contraband cell phones behind prison bars to distribute millions of dollars of illegal drugs in our community and launder drug money for criminal cartels," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "The dogged work by our Homeland Security Task Force team of federal investigators, state officers, and local partners dismantled Matthews's network and helped ensure the safety of our community."

"Georgia and the rest of the country is safer now that Jarvis Matthews will be locked away in federal prison, unable to run his vast drug and money laundering operation," said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham. "FBI Atlanta will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that career criminals like Matthews and those who conspire with them are brought to justice."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Jarvis Matthews, while imprisoned at Georgia Department of Corrections facilities, used contraband cellphones to coordinate the distribution of illegal drugs at houses in the Cleveland Avenue neighborhood of Atlanta. Matthews directed his fiancée, girlfriends, nephew, and two adult sons to distribute drugs and collect and launder money on his behalf.

In early 2022, FBI agents identified a social media account that Matthews used to facilitate dozens of drug deals. In April of 2022, FBI agents made a controlled purchase of two kilograms of methamphetamine from Matthews through his son Charvis Harris, who previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced in this case. Ultimately, the FBI obtained a wiretap on Matthews's phone and conducted surveillance at one of Matthews's drug trap houses, which was operated by codefendant Alvin Edwards. With these tools, the FBI was able to apprehend Matthews's drug customers after they met with Matthews's sons, Harris and Javaris Mathews, to obtain drugs. Matthews conspired with others, such as codefendant Shabreya Brown, to transport drugs, and codefendant Miriam Modesti, to launder money.

The evidence presented at trial showed that Matthews distributed hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs in the Atlanta area and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds, including for drug suppliers in Colombia and California.

On April 21, 2026, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty sentenced Jarvis Matthews, 47, of Atlanta, Georgia, to 35 years in federal prison for his role in leading a multi-million-dollar drug trafficking and money laundering operation from the confines of Calhoun State Prison. Judge Geraghty ordered that the federal sentence run consecutively to Matthews's state sentences of life imprisonment.

The following defendants were previously sentenced in this case:

• Charvis Harris, 22, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
• Javaris Dasan Mathews, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to six years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Alvin Edwards, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Miriam Modesti, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
• Shabreya Brown, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Coweta County Sheriff's Office, the Dooly County Sheriff's Office, the Fayetteville Police Department, the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Newton County Sheriff's Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Johnny Baer and John DeGenova prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.