Man in Country Illegally Sentenced for Role in Drug Deal, Shootout on Erie Bayfront

Charles Baizar, 36, was sentenced Tuesday morning to serve five to 10 years in prison. He will receive credit for the year he has already served.

Tuesday, February 25th 2020, 1:08 PM EST
Updated: Tuesday, February 25th 2020, 1:09 PM EST

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A man from Belize charged in connection to a drug deal and shootout outside the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on Erie's bayfront will spend at least five years behind bars.

Charles Baizar, 36, was sentenced Tuesday morning to serve five to 10 years in prison. He will receive credit for the year he has already served. Baizar pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge Dec. 10, 2019.

He has been in the U.S. illegally for more than 15 years, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Baizar was admitted to the United States on a non-immigrant visa on March 6, 2002, but he overstayed his term of admission, according to ICE in a statement.

ICE also said it will seek Baizar's removal from the country once the criminal charges in the case are resolved.

The other suspect charged in the case, Jermaine Belgrave, is an illegal immigrant.

Baizar was shot in the foot during the shootout, which police said stemmed from an upper-level drug deal Feb. 7, 2019.

Police said Baizar traveled to Erie with Belgrave and two other men from Chicago to sell a kilo of heroin for $80,000, but the buyers instead stole their dope and fired gunshots.

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