ZUMBRO FALLS, Minn. (KTTC) -- A Zumbro Falls man faces the possibility of life in prison, after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, money laundering, and transporting stolen gems.
Richard Kay, 39, made the plea in Federal Court in Minneapolis Tuesday morning.
Kay did business in Minnesota as "Kay Diamonds".
He admitted to using his business in some of the criminal activity that dates back to 1995, and from 2001 through 2009, he transported between 50 and 100 stolen gem stones between Ohio to Minnesota.
Wabasha County Sheriff, Rodney Bartsh, says the case is well over five years in the making, spanned across many states, and will "likely go down as one of the largest cases in terms of dollar amounts that Wabasha County will ever see."
"We believe we probably took down one of the largest dealers in southeastern Minnesota in regards to the high grade marijuana that he [Kay] was selling," Sheriff Bartsh said.
Sheriff Bartsh said Kay made well over a million dollars through his operations over the years.
The federal government is looking to take hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of assets that Kay collected through his illegal activities, including a boat and his lakeshore property in rural Zumbro Falls.
"He's a single guy, lives alone, has a dog... very polite, very nice neighbor. We met him when he first moved in and he seemed like a normal average guy," said Suzanne Dahl, Kay's neighbor.
Dahl witnessed officers raid Kay's house back in March 2011.
"We pretty much witnessed a live episode of "Cops" right outside our window," she said.
Sheriff Bartsh went on to say, "It is rare that we have a case of this magnitude but it just goes to show you that this could be happening anywhere. It could be one of your neighbors that you don't know very well."
Four Rochester men have also made guilty pleas for their roles in the marijuana distribution conspiracy.
They include: 40-year-old Jamie Davidson, 37-year-old Jason Meek, 32-year-old Shawn Milliken and 37-year-old Brandon Lusk.
Richard Kay
Jason Meek
Brandon Lusk
Shawn Milliken
Jamie Davidson
