Defendant must serve four years without parole.
SOMERVILLE - A Warren Township man was sentenced to 10 years in state prison Friday in Somerset County Superior Court for a 2015 arrest on possession of approximately $1.2 million worth of cocaine and heroin and $291,147 in cash in his Sycamore Estates home.
Charles C. Lewis (Somerset County Prosecutor's Office)Charles C. Lewis, 42, pleaded guilty in Oct., 2016 to first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and first-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
Under a plea deal, Superior Court Judge Bradford M. Bury sentenced Lewis to 10 years in state prison with 48 months served without parole on both counts to run concurrently.
Lewis, who had been free on $250,000 bail, apologized to the court in a brief statement before his sentencing. After sentencing, he was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody.
It was Lewis' third indictable offense, all related to drugs, it was revealed in court.
Assistant Prosecutor Michael McLaughlin handled the case for the state. Lewis was represented by Newark-based attorney Alan Bowman, who argued for a minimum of 42 months. Both declined to comment afterwards.
Bury lauded Lewis for being a good father to his nine kids, eight of which he is the biological father, and his work in the community. He supported a youth girls basketball travel team named the New Jersey Heat. Eleven of those girls received college scholarships, it was said in court.
But the judge said those funds were ill-gotten through a "wholesale drug business" and caused "carnage" throughout the community. He said Lewis must pay the penalty for his actions.
"There is no dignity in dealing drugs," said the judge.
On Dec. 18, 2015, members of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force, Warren Township police and Bound Brook police executed a search warrant on Lewis' residences as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, it was previously reported.
An 11-year-old girl under his care was in the home at the time of his arrest, authorities said. A second-degree charge of endangering the welfare of a child was dropped.
Authorities said the 10 kilograms of cocaine seized have an approximate street value of $1 million and the two kilograms of heroin have a street value of roughly $200,000.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.