Illinois Woman Sentenced for Misprision of Felony

Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Mia Armani Williams, 22, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on April 14, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for misprision of a felony. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Williams to two years of probation. There is no parole in the federal system.

On October 1, 2022, a Nebraska State Patrol trooper saw two nearly identical black Mercedes SUVs with Illinois plates traveling eastbound on I-80 in Seward County.  A traffic stop was made on one SUV which was driven by co-defendant Jennilee Velez. Velez’s passenger was Mia Williams.  The other SUV sped away and was later stopped by a Saline County deputy who was working with the Seward County Task Force.  That SUV was driven by co-defendant Samantha Francisco, and her sister, co-defendant Julany Rivera, was her passenger.   

Both SUVs were searched after Williams and Francisco admitted having marijuana.  In the SUV driven by Velez, more than 16 pounds of cocaine were found along with 393 oxycodone pills.  In the other SUV, more than 24 pounds of cocaine and 66 oxycodone pills were found. Searches of Velez’s and Francisco’s phones showed the four women had traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles, where other persons loaded the drugs into the two SUVs.  The four were headed back to Chicago at the time they were stopped. Williams failed to notify law enforcement about Velez’s illegal activities when initially contacted.

Jennilee Velez was previously sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release on April 29, 2024. The other co-defendants’ cases remain pending.

This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, the Seward County Sheriff’s Department, the Saline County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.