When he was sentenced to prison on Aug. 17, 1999, Carl Anthony Knight had every reason to believe he would die an inmate.
Knight was convicted under the federal kingpin statute for leading the largest crack cocaine ring to operate in Erie up to that time. He and his associates were accused of smuggling crack weighing a total of 458 pounds — 208 kilograms — from New York City to Erie from 1993 to 1997.
The total value of the drugs at the time: $20.8 million.
Knight was the first person in Erie to be found guilty as a drug kingpin. A jury at the federal courthouse on Perry Square convicted him in 40 minutes on April 7, 1999. Four months later, at 28 years old, he got the mandatory sentence that went along with his ignominious role as the leader of a massive ring that trafficked in crack: a life term in federal prison.