Overview
- Nicholas Kindle received a five-year federal prison term, with a judge recommending FPC Yankton plus substance-use treatment and vocational programming.
- David Cole was sentenced to seven years and three months in a Phoenix federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Both former agents pleaded guilty to converting government property, and Kindle also admitted conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
- The court ordered a $97,500 money judgment for each defendant and forfeitures exceeding $100,000 in cash, along with items that included a gold Krugerrand, about $600 in gift cards, a diamond ring and a Peruvian antiquity.
- Court filings say the scheme began in 2021, involved diverting seized bath salts under investigative pretexts, used a confidential informant as a reseller from 2022 into early 2024, and generated at least $195,000 before an informant alerted the FBI.