Springfield man sentenced to 20 years for leading heroin conspiracy

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a large heroin trafficking organization with his wife.

Larry K. Hayward, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 24, 2022, Hayward was convicted at trial of one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, three counts of distributing heroin, and one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute.

According to evidence introduced during the trial, Hayward and his wife, co-defendant Jasmine D. Steed, 36, were co-leaders of a criminal organization that consistently distributed heroin in the Springfield community from approximately Nov. 15, 2016, to Oct. 17, 2018. Court documents conservatively estimate they distributed at least three kilograms of heroin during that nearly two-year period. Hayward and Steed obtained heroin from a source in Chicago, Illinois. They distributed heroin themselves and recruited others to help distribute heroin.

Law enforcement officers executed search warrants at both of Hayward’s residences in Springfield and Waynesville, Mo. At his Waynesville residence, officers found a loaded Sig Sauer .380-caliber pistol, $5,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia. Steed was present during the search of their Springfield residence, where officers found heroin.

Hayward has four prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and a prior felony conviction for selling cocaine to an undercover officer. He also has a prior felony conviction for burglary, three misdemeanor convictions for possession of drugs, and a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Hayward is the fifth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. Steed was sentenced on March 25, 2021, to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Co-defendants Richard J. Smith, 48, of Springfield, Rashad J. Moore, 31, of Branson, Mo. and Damario J. Brown, 33, whose address was unknown, also pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.