Lynnwood man sentenced for role as 'tech support' in WA-based dark web drug dealing ring

SEATTLE - A Lynnwood man was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison for his role in a dark web drug dealing operation.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 39-year-old Jonathan Williams was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Prosecutors say Williams served as "tech support" for the operation, managing the web affairs for two other co-conspirators.

Williams and two others—70-year-old Joyce Oldrich of Marysville, and 51-year-old Linus Lee of Shoreline—were indicted in July 2022 following an FBI and U.S. Postal Service investigation.

"Mr. Williams used his computer skills to make dangerous drugs available to anyone with a computer," said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman. "He may have physically kept his hands off the drugs but, using his computer keyboard, he enriched himself while putting others at risk."

Investigators on the ‘dark web’ placed online orders for drugs, and when their packages came, they identified the mailer as Oldrich. From there, they also identified Lee as a co-conspirator. Detectives served a search warrant on Lee's home and recovered 5,000 tabs of LSD and more than four kilograms of MDMA; some of the drugs were already packaged and ready to be mailed.

Detectives seized Oldrich and Lee's cell phones, which led them to identifying Williams as yet another co-conspirator. Various encrypted messages showed the three discussing market prices for their drugs.

Officers searched Williams' home next, but did not find any drugs. Still, they were able to link some $21,000 in cash to his drug-selling activities.

Despite Williams never handling the drugs himself, prosecutors say he advertised the drugs, took orders and processed payments for the sale of LSD and MDMA.

Oldrich and Lee were both sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.