Peoria woman sentenced to prison on federal drug charges

A Peoria woman was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Thursday for attempting to distribute a large amount of methamphetamine in 2021.

Crystal Bennett, 41, had been indicted in October 2022 on federal drug charges for possessing over 5 grams of meth with intent to distribute after she had obtained a package containing drugs from a shipping store in East Peoria in May 2021.

During a sentencing hearing in front of U.S. Central District Court Senior Judge James Shadid, federal prosecutors said that Bennett, who also went by the names "Nancy Carpenter" and "Crystal Waynette Silsby," attempted to retrieve a package from the shipping store on May 18, claiming that she was picking something up for her boyfriend.

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Staff got suspicious and contacted law enforcement, who found the package had over 50 grams of meth, with a purity of 98%. They also found several drug ledgers in Bennett's car, leading to her arrest.

In September 2021 — 13 months before she was indicted — Bennett was arrested a second time, being in possession of not just 250 grams of meth, but several grams of heroin, a loaded gun that was previously reported as stolen and $2,400 in cash. Federal charges were filed in October 2022, with her arrest coming in January 2023.

Several continuances of the trial and a detention hearing came about before she was allowed to be released on bond in May 2023, but just a few days later, Bennett was returned to federal custody after she had been allegedly kicked out of an emergency shelter for hiding Oxycodone in her bra.

From there, she was placed in the custody of U.S. Marshals until she pled guilty in September on the single federal count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Bennett had been facing up to 40 years in prison and as a part of her sentence, will be subject to four years of supervised release. No fine was imposed, although the court could have asked her to pay $5 million.

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