A man called a person of interest in the shooting death of Broncos player Darrent Williams was advised in federal court Friday of federal drug-distribution charges against him.
Willie “Little Lett” Clark, 24, was charged in U.S. District Court in Denver with possession and distribution of more than 500 grams of cocaine but less than five kilograms or 5 grams to 50 grams of crack.
No bond has been set in the case, in which federal authorities allege that Clark was tied to a violent street gang suspected of killing 11 people, committing home-invasion robberies and running an extensive illegal drug operation, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Clark was arrested four days after the New Year’s Day homicide and was sent to state prison for violating his parole on a 2002 conviction for motor-vehicle theft.
Neither Clark nor anyone else has been arrested in connection with Williams’ murder.
Sources have told The Denver Post that Clark was one of three gang members inside a white Chevrolet Tahoe that was used in the fatal shooting of the 24-year-old cornerback.
Clark was paroled from the Denver Diagnostic Center on Thursday into the custody of the FBI’s metro gang task force, said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Contrary to assertions made by a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections on Thursday night, Clark was never free from custody.
“He never hit the street,” said Tim Hand, assistant director of parole with the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Ken Deal, chief deputy for the U.S. Marshals Service in Colorado, said Clark will be held at the Federal Detention Center in Englewood.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
