Former Phoenix-area public defender sentenced for trying to buy meth from undercover agent
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — An ex-public defender in Maricopa County learned her punishment for trying to buy methamphetamine from an undercover agent in 2020.
A federal judge sentenced 33-year-old Sally Joyce Nyemba to 18 months in prison. It was part of a plea deal.
Prosecutors said she met with the undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Phoenix in May 2020. She agreed to buy two pounds of meth for $3,600 and 4,000 M30 pills for $10,000 with a plan to resell the drugs.
When she showed the agent $3,600 for the drugs, she was arrested. Agents searched her car and found about $14,158 in cash.
Nyemba was a deputy public defender in Maricopa County but left the Public Defender’s Office in 2019. She was a criminal defense attorney in the private sector in 2020.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the bust was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation.
Nyemba pleaded guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in August.
Editor’s note: The story has been updated to show she left the Public Defender’s Office in 2019.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
