SACRAMENTO, Calif. — James L. Kenney, 45, of West Sacramento, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, James Kenney was an organizer, broker, and known leader in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in West Sacramento. Kenney’s DTO distributed various controlled substances but primarily sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Kenney’s DTO primarily distributed controlled substances into the community out of multiple rooms of a motel located in West Sacramento. At the time of the DTO’s operations, Kenney was on probation for previous convictions for selling controlled substances.
On May 2, 2025, a Confidential Source (CS) met Kenney at one of Kenney’s appointments with Yolo County Probation. Despite having been only recently released from prison for drug-dealing, Kenney almost immediately offered to sell the CS marijuana and also let the CS know that he could sell fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. That same day, Kenney sold the CS 2 ounces of fentanyl at a motel in West Sacramento.
On May 13, 2025, the CS bought more drugs from Kenney. Kenney directed the CS to the same motel they had met for the prior drug deal. The CS bought another 2 ounces of fentanyl at a price set by Kenney. After the fentanyl deal, the CS asked Kenney to buy 4 ounces of methamphetamine, which Kenney directed a co-defendant to measure out and take payment for.
On May 23, 2025, the CS again bought drugs from Kenney. This time, the CS and Kenney arranged for the purchase of a pound of methamphetamine. Once again, the CS arranged the purchase and price with Kenney, but the same co-defendant handled the payment and handoff of the drugs.
Later, on Aug. 28, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the motel where the DTO operated and all three transactions with the CS occurred. The co-defendant was found in one room of the motel with three handguns, 3.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 2 kilograms of cocaine, 283 grams of methamphetamine, and various other drugs. Kenney and two other individuals were in an adjoining room that also contained drugs, including methamphetamine, and heroin. Law enforcement also found more than $12,000 in cash during their search, with more than $1,000 in cash on Kenney’s person. Kenney’s room included a monitor linked to a camera observing another room in the same motel, and when agents searched the room, they found it unoccupied, but the room had more drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. The unoccupied room with the camera also contained an assault rifle and multiple magazines.
Throughout the conspiracy, Kenney acted as the broker and managed the supply, setting prices and procuring the drugs the CS sought to purchase.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the West Sacramento Police Department and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Harman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura prosecuted the case.
This case is also part of the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney program, a partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local District Attorney’s Offices. These attorneys remain employed by the District Attorney’s Offices but work on federal investigations and can prosecute cases in both state and federal court, strengthening efforts to combat transnational organized crime and violent crime in the region. Currently, the District Attorney’s Offices of Fresno, Sacramento, Stanislaus, and Yolo Counties are participating. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt De Moura serves as a Deputy District Attorney in Yolo County.
This case is 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. HSTF Sacramento is composed of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of California — U.S. Department of Justice press release.