A federal judge ordered former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd to be jailed indefinitely Tuesday for failing two drug tests and allegedly buying drugs while already facing charges he tried to distribute marijuana and cocaine.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeff Kaplan indicated that he was less troubled by the drug tests than the allegations that Hurd had tried to buy drugs while he was out on bond. He revoked Hurd’s $100,000 bond.
After the hearing, Hurd turned toward his family and supporters in the courtroom and said: “Lies.” He spoke briefly to a few people watching before he was led out of the courtroom.
The 27-year-old Hurd, who played for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, was arrested again earlier this month. Prosecutors say he tested positive for marijuana at least twice this year. His cousin also allegedly told authorities he tried to buy five kilograms of cocaine (about 11 pounds) and 200 pounds of marijuana on Hurd’s behalf.
The cousin, Jesse Tyrone Chavful, also told prosecutors he sold Hurd 30 pounds of marijuana for $10,500 in May.
Hurd was arrested in December after allegedly accepting cocaine from an undercover agent at a suburban Chicago steakhouse. According to court documents, Hurd took 1 kilogram (about 2 pounds) of cocaine and told the officer he wanted to eventually buy five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute in the Chicago area.
An alleged co-conspirator accused of helping Hurd, Toby Lujan, pleaded guilty last week to a cocaine possession charge.
Prosecutors left court Tuesday without comment. Hurd’s mother, Gloria Corbin, attended the hearing along with his wife, sisters and at least one former teammate, Marion Barber.
“That’s my son,” Corbin told reporters afterward. “I love him, I support him and I believe in him.”
Hurd entered court in an orange jail uniform and handcuffs that were eventually removed. He took notes during the nearly two-hour hearing and often shook his head as law enforcement agents testified about the evidence against him.
Cecilio Bustamante, a supervising probation officer in Dallas, said Hurd admitted to first failing a drug test in May and then again in July — the second time after entering into drug counseling. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent Robert Alarcon testified that months after Hurd’s arrest and release on bond, his cousin, Chavful, allegedly brought 30 pounds of marijuana in a blue ice chest to Hurd for $10,500.
Chavful was arrested June 6 after trying to take delivery of five kilograms of cocaine and almost 200 pounds of marijuana, Alarcon said. Chavful would later tell agents he was buying the drugs for Hurd and said he had talked to “Big Sam” several times leading up to the sale, Alarcon said.
Alarcon said he believed Lujan and Chavful did not know each other, lending credibility to their separate testimony.
Jay Ethington, Hurd’s attorney, repeatedly questioned the strength of the evidence and suggested Chavful was blaming Hurd to lighten the blame on himself.
“We are very disappointed that the judge accepted the government’s version of the facts that are based on exaggerated and even fabricated testimony of a non-credible informant,” Ethington said in an email afterward. “We will continue to try to bring the truth to the courthouse.”
-AP
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