Southern District of West Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Clarence Montana Walls, 39, of Huntington, was sentenced today to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Walls sold quantities of methamphetamine at a Richwood residence on five occasions between October 11 and October 26, 2023, each time to a confidential informant. Walls also sold a quantify of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Clay County on May 9, 2023. With his guilty plea, Walls admitted to the October 11, 2023, methamphetamine transaction in Richwood.
On October 31, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Richwood residence, where Walls had been living, and seized $650 in prerecorded money from the controlled drug buys in addition to $3,625 and a small quantity of controlled substances.
Walls has a long criminal history that includes prior convictions for second-degree criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, providing false information to officers, and multiple controlled substance offenses. The Court also concluded that Walls obstructed justice following his arrest in the case, when he made recorded jail phone calls to an individual in an attempt to influence the individual’s grand jury testimony against him.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew D. Isabell and Alexander A. Redmon prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-77.
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Detroit Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Edward Keith Perkins, 31, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 19, 2024, Perkins shipped a box containing approximately 4.43 kilograms of methamphetamine from California to a Virginia Street address on the West Side of Charleston, West Virginia. On August 22, 2024, Perkins drove to the Virginia Street address. Law enforcement approached the vehicle Perkins was driving after a passenger in the vehicle retrieved the package from the porch of the residence and placed it in the vehicle’s trunk. Perkins fled the vehicle when the officers approached but was later apprehended. Perkins admitted that the package contained approximately 50 grams of fentanyl in addition to the 4.43 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Perkins has a long criminal history that includes prior convictions for assault, carjacking and carrying a concealed weapon.
“The investigation in this case revealed that the defendant distributed nearly 20 pounds of methamphetamine and over 100 grams of fentanyl that he shipped from California to West Virginia and Tennessee,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “Today’s sentence is the result of this office’s commitment to work closely with our law enforcement partners and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent to keep our communities safe.”
Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Alexander A. Redmon prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-158.
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West Virginia Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty today to one count of willful failure to pay over employment taxes on behalf of his business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dean E. Dawson operated RPC Group LLC, a Hurricane, West Virginia, real estate appraisal business. Dawson was responsible for withholding employment taxes from RPC Group’s employees and paying over those funds to the IRS. Between 2015 and 2022, however, Dawson willfully failed to pay over to the IRS the employment taxes withheld from his employees’ paychecks. He also used the RPC Group’s business accounts to pay for personal expenses, including personal credit cards and his wife’s home mortgage, and issued checks to his wife from RPC Group even though she was not an employee of the business. In addition, from 2018 to 2023, Dawson did not file personal tax returns or pay income taxes. In total, Dawson caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $250,000.
Dawson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Brian E. Flanagan and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan T. Storage for the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Putnam County Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dean E. Dawson, 65, of Hurricane, pleaded guilty today to one count of willful failure to pay over employment taxes on behalf of his business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dawson operated RPC Group LLC, a Hurricane, West Virginia, real estate appraisal business. Dawson was responsible for withholding employment taxes from RPC Group’s employees and paying over those funds to the IRS. Between 2015 and 2022, however, Dawson willfully failed to pay over to the IRS the employment taxes withheld from his employees’ paychecks. He also used the RPC Group’s business accounts to pay for personal expenses, including personal credit cards and his wife’s home mortgage, and issued checks to his wife from RPC Group even though she was not an employee of the business. In addition, from 2018 to 2023, Dawson did not file personal tax returns or pay income taxes. In total, Dawson caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $250,000.
Dawson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Dawson also owes restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) is investigating the case.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Trial Attorneys Brian E. Flanagan and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan T. Storage for the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-120.
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Ohio Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Emariel Kanay Tyler, 20, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 29, 2023, Tyler traveled by rideshare from a Charleston apartment to a residence in Wyoming County with quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Tyler admitted that she used her cell phone to arrange the sale of the fentanyl to someone at the residence, discussing the meeting location and the prices to be charged for the fentanyl. Tyler exchanged the fentanyl for payment at the meeting location, but further admitted that she returned to Charleston with both the money and the fentanyl.
The rideshare dropped Tyler off at the Charleston apartment upon their return from Wyoming County. Tyler found that law enforcement officers were executing a search warrant at the apartment, where her boyfriend, Terric Zaire Williams, was staying. Officers saw the outline of a firearm in Tyler’s pants and a large amount of cash and a baggie of suspected drugs hanging out of the pockets of her jacket. Officers arrested Tyler.
Officers also seized three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine from a dining room trash can and a living room closet during the search of the apartment. Williams, 25, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced on February 27, 2025, to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-186.
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Ohio Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Leonard Samiia, 32, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for production of child pornography. Samiia must register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about February 20, 2023, Samiia employed, used, persuaded, induced, and enticed a minor victim residing within the Southern District of West Virginia to send images of her nude vagina to him through the internet using an instant messaging service. Samiia also sent the images back to the minor victim using the messaging service.
Samiia admitted that he sent a series of messages to the minor victim, directing her to make specific poses and take specific actions for these images. Samiia further admitted that he threatened the minor victim with the images she sent him, including by messaging her “(h)ave fun with these pics being posted now,” “being posted all over Facebook google snapchat twitch and everywhere,” and “THEY WILL BE POSTED ON YOUR SCHOOL WEBSITE TOO.” In one message, Samiia threatened to travel to where the minor victim lived and physically harm her and her family.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Holly Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-18.
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Wyoming County Ambulance Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Christopher J. Smyth, 49, of Pineville, was sentenced yesterday, March 3, 2025, to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,616,704.76 in restitution for not paying the taxes withheld from employees’ wages at an ambulance service he operated and obstructing the IRS’ efforts to collect those taxes.
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from 2012 through part of 2017, Smyth operated Stat EMS LLC, an ambulance service located in Pineville. Smyth created Stat EMS after a previous ambulance business Smyth operated accrued millions of dollars of employment tax liabilities and filed for bankruptcy. Smyth caused Stat EMS to be founded in the name of a nominee owner but continued operating the business in the same manner as before.
At Stat EMS, Smyth was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from employees’ wages and paying them to the IRS. For years, however, Smyth did not fully pay the taxes to the IRS. Instead, he paid various personal expenses and transferred funds to businesses held by his friends and family. The IRS determined that Stat EMS accrued approximately $3.3 million in unpaid taxes.
Eventually, the IRS assessed the unpaid taxes against Smyth personally and attempted to collect those assessments from him. When interviewed by an IRS revenue officer attempting to collect Smyth’s unpaid tax debts, Smyth stated that he had no personal bank accounts and denied that he used anyone else’s. In reality, however, he regularly deposited his paychecks into an account in a relative’s name. He also attempted to mislead the revenue officer by representing that he had nothing to do with several other businesses, even though he had signature authority over their bank accounts.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
“The jury found that Mr. Smyth failed to pay more than $4.6 million withheld from his employees’ wages and obstructed efforts to recover those withholdings,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “Ambulance services are critical to our communities, and Mr. Smyth repeatedly chose to jeopardize his by engaging in a 15-year scheme that was immense in its scope and scale. The sentence in this case serves to deter others who seek to break the law at the expense of the American taxpayer.”
The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) investigated the case.
Assistant Chief David Zisserson and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Andrew Ascencio of the Tax Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Goes for the Southern District of West Virginia, prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Silvester Barcenas, 23, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 12, 2024, Barcenas arrived in Charleston, West Virginia, with approximately 3.9 kilograms of methamphetamine in a vehicle he had driven from South Carolina, where he was living at the time. Barcenas admitted that he possessed the methamphetamine, that a co-conspirator directed him to deliver the methamphetamine to another individual in Charleston, and that he delivered the methamphetamine to the individual as instructed.
Barcenas is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Barcenas and two other Mexican nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury as the result of a joint investigation by federal and local law enforcement into a conspiracy that was responsible for delivering large quantities of methamphetamine to West Virginia and elsewhere from Houston. The indictment against co-defendants German Francisco Diaz, also known as “Trulio,” 40, Braulio Villa-Chairez, also known as “Raul,” 31, remains pending. The indictment alleges the three Mexican nationals conspired to distribute quantities of methamphetamine in the Charleston area from in or about March 2024 to in or about October 2024. Trial is scheduled for April 15, 2025. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Israel Chaires-Villa, 22, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine as a result of the joint investigation and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-176.
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Kanawha County Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jonathan Fitzpatrick, 33, of Pratt, was sentenced today to 16 years and two months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for distribution of 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 3, 2024, Fitzpatrick sold approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in the Kanawha City area of Charleston. Fitzpatrick admitted to the transaction and further admitted to distributing a total of approximately 90 pounds of a substance that contained methamphetamine to the confidential informant from approximately December 2022 to in or about April 2024.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force, which consists of members of the Mingo County Sheriff's Office, the Logan County Sheriff's Office, the Boone County Sheriff's Office, and the West Virginia State Police.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Samuel D. Marsh prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-112.
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Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Marcas Cory Anglin, 30, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 2, 2020, law enforcement officers attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Anglin in the Pool area of Nicholas County. Anglin fled from officers in his vehicle and later on foot before engaging in a standoff with officers while armed with a loaded Glock model 27 .40-caliber pistol. Officers arrested Anglin and seized the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Anglin knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for armed burglary of a dwelling in Hillsborough County, Florida, Circuit Court on June 19, 2014.
Anglin is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the West Virginia State Police.
Senior United States District Judge David A Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-153.
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Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Nicholas D. Plumb, 25, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 23, 2023, law enforcement officers apprehended Plumb at an apartment in Prosperity and found 45 grams of fentanyl, 144 grams of methamphetamine and a Glock model 43X 9mm handgun in Plumb’s possession. Plumb admitted that he possessed the controlled substances and intended to distribute them.
On July 31, 2024, officers arrested Plumb and searched his residence. Plumb admitted that he possessed 557 grams of methamphetamine found by officers during the search and that he intended to distribute the controlled substance.
Plumb is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-109.
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Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Stolen MoneyRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Joshua Sneed, 35, of Bluefield, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to possession of stolen money.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 15, 2024, Sneed was employed as a title clerk for an automotive sales and service business in Bluefield, West Virginia, when a customer purchased a 2008 Bentley Continental for $37,761. The cash was deposited in the business’s safe. On March 27, 2024, Sneed used his access to the business’ computer system to change the transaction from a cash purchase to a credit card purchase. Sneed admitted that he changed the purchase details to conceal the fact that he did not deposit the $37,761 into the business’s bank account. Sneed further admitted that he took the $37,761 in cash from the business to his residence in Bluefield, Virginia.
On March 27, 2024, Sneed prepared a bank deposit slip for the business for $60,100 and prepared a second deposit slip on April 9, 2024, for $60,222.10. Sneed admitted that he never made either deposit with the bank. Sneed further admitted that he prepared the deposit slips to conceal his theft of money from the business over several months.
On April 9, 2024, Sneed attempted to change the record of the Bentley Continental sale back to a cash purchase from a credit card purchase in the business’s computer system. Sneed found the computer system did not allow him to edit transaction histories for March 2024. On April 15, 2024, Sneed was fired from his position.
Sneed is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Sneed also owes at least $120,322.10 in restitution.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-14.
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Parkersburg Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – David Eric West II, 43, of Parkersburg, was sentenced today to seven years and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to deliver quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 8, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by West near Parkersburg. Officers found quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the vehicle and a Taurus G3C 9mm pistol on West’s person. West admitted that he possessed the controlled substances and intended to distribute them in and around the Southern District of West Virginia.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Parkersburg Police Department.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-135.
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Parents of Former Boone County Schools Maintenance Director Plead Guilty to Evading Financial Reporting RequirementsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael P. Barker, 68, and Lana Barker, 66, both of Foster, pleaded guilty today to structuring transactions with one or more domestic financial institutions.
According to court documents and statements made in court, starting on or about November 7, 2023, through on or about November 28, 2023, the Barkers made or caused to be made 11 cash deposits to their bank accounts in amounts ranging from $8,000 to $9,500 and totaling $97,215. The Barkers admitted that these transactions were specifically designed to avoid currency reporting requirements. Financial institutions are required to report cash deposits of more than $10,000, and federal law prohibits structuring multiple cash deposits to avoid this reporting requirement.
The Barkers furthered admitted that they used the $97,215, a $30,000 bank loan, and $50,000 provided by their son, former Boone County Schools Maintenance Director Michael David Barker, to purchase property in Foster.
Michael P. Barker is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025, and Lana Barker is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1, 2025. Each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a forfeiture money judgment.
Today’s guilty pleas result from an investigation that led to the indictment of Michael David Barker, 47, of Foster, by a federal grand jury on December 10, 2024. The 18-count indictment alleges that Michael David Barker entered into a scheme to defraud the Boone County Board of Education out of approximately $3,400,000 while serving as maintenance director. The charges against Michael David Barker are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jesse Marks, 65, of Rush, Kentucky, pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Marks was the sole owner and operator of Rush Enterprises when Michael David Barker contacted him in November 2019 about Rush Enterprises selling custodial and janitorial supplies to Boone County Schools. Marks admitted that he and Barker entered into the overbilling scheme at that time. Marks is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), and the assistance provided by the West Virginia Department of Education.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:25-cr-4 (Michael P. Barker) and 2:25-cr-5 (Lana Barker).
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North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements Under Oath in a Bankruptcy CaseRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Travis Lee Harry, 40, of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to making false statements under oath in a bankruptcy case.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Harry had owned and lived in a house in Princeton, West Virginia, which he sold on December 23, 2019. On February 5, 2020, Harry filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. On the Statement of Financial Affairs he submitted as part of the bankruptcy filing, and which he signed under penalty of perjury, Harry falsely stated that he and his spouse co-owned the house and sold it together. At a March 6, 2020, meeting of creditors as part of the bankruptcy proceeding, Harry falsely testified under oath that he had co-owned the house with his spouse. Harry admitted as part of his guilty plea that he solely owned the house, and that his spouse was never a co-owner. Harry further admitted that he falsely indicated during the creditors’ meeting that all of the proceeds from selling the house went to pay taxes.
Harry is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The United States Trustee’s Charleston field office, which serves West Virginia, made the criminal referral of this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Department of Justice whose mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-143.
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Lisa G. Johnston Named Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of West VirginiaRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Lisa G. Johnston has been named the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. As Acting United States Attorney, Johnston is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of West Virginia, which covers 23 counties, and oversees all federal criminal prosecutions as well as the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest.
“I am honored to serve as Acting United States Attorney and pledge to continue to fulfill the vital mission of the Department of Justice,” Johnston said. “On behalf of this office and its dedicated attorneys and staff, I look forward to working closely and collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to protect the public, enforce the law fairly and consistently, and promote respect for the legal system and the rule of law.”
Johnston previously served as the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from February 2021 to October 2021. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia in August 2006. Since January 2018, Johnston has served as First Assistant United States Attorney, the second most-senior official in the United States Attorney’s Office tasked with overseeing the operations of the criminal, civil and administrative sections of the United States Attorney’s Office.
Johnston began her 37-year career in the Northern District of West Virginia, where she served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and then as an Assistant United States Attorney. In October 2001, Johnston accepted a detail with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chief Counsel’s Office where she served as a legal advisor to ATF employees in the Louisville Field Division. In August 2005, Johnston accepted a detail with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she handled immigration appeals.
Throughout her extensive career as an Assistant United States Attorney, Johnston has handled investigations and prosecutions of federal criminal laws involving crimes against children, firearms, violence, drug trafficking, health care fraud, immigration, and other white-collar offenses.
As Acting United States Attorney, Johnston oversees a staff of 34 attorneys and 41 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley.
A native of Moundsville, West Virginia, Johnston earned a Juris Doctor degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1988. She graduated Cum Laude from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1984.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Greenbrier County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Grover D. Jordan, 57, of Charmco, was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 18, 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Jordan in Fayetteville. Jordan admitted that he possessed three firearms discovered during the traffic stop: a Taurus model PT1911 .45-caliber pistol, an Armi Galesi model 9 6.35mm pistol, and a Beretta model 3032 Tom Cat .32-caliber pistol with a removed, altered or obliterated serial number.
Jordan also admitted that he possessed a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver discovered during an August 20, 2023 traffic stop by law enforcement of a motorcycle he was operating in Charmco. Jordan further admitted that he possessed a Dupont electric generator, which is explosive material under federal law, discovered during the traffic stop.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Jordan knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for two counts of wanton endangerment in Raleigh County Circuit Court on March 15, 2019.
Jordan has a long criminal history that also includes numerous other convictions for such offenses as grand larceny, domestic battery, DUI, and possession of controlled substances.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Fayetteville Police Department, the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Brian D. Parsons and Justin Marlowe prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-29.
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Final Defendant Pleads Guilty to Role in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Jermaine Antoine Johnson, 34, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Johnson admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl as well as cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Johnson participated in the DTO conspiracy in April and May 2024. Johnson admitted to supplying others with controlled substances that they distributed. Johnson further admitted that he spoke to co-conspirators about obtaining and distributing fentanyl during May 2024 phone calls that were intercepted by law enforcement.
During a May 15, 2024, phone call, Johnson told a co-conspirator about a supplier prepared to sell controlled substances to them, and the two discussed providing $6,000 to this supplier for drugs they planned to distribute in and around the Southern District of West Virginia. Johnson admitted that he was picked up by the co-conspirator on May 20, 2024, and the two traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, where they purchased approximately $6,000 worth of fentanyl. Johnson further admitted that he and his co-conspirator returned to West Virginia the next day and discussed increasing the volume of the purchased fentanyl by adding such cutting agents as sugar and brown sugar.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Johnson is among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. All 12 have pleaded guilty, including two defendants who pleaded guilty to separate charges in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment.
“Today’s guilty plea marks a major milestone in this case, which has disrupted a significant drug trafficking operation in the Beckley area,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “The fact that all 12 defendants have pleaded guilty is also a testament to the teamwork of our law enforcement partners and this office and to our shared dedication to protecting our communities.”
Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over today’s hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-90.
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Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Leondus Whittenburg, 42, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 6, 2023, Whittenburg sold 320 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in the parking lot of a Beckley business near Eisenhower Drive.
Whittenburg is scheduled to be sentenced on July 3, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
Co-defendant John Gray, 39, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2024, to distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine and awaits sentencing.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew D. Isabell and Brian D. Parsons are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-31.
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Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Terric Zaire Williams, 25, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 29, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Charleston apartment where Williams was staying. Officers seized three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine from a dining room trash can and a living room closet during the search. Williams admitted to possessing the seized methamphetamine and intending to distribute it.
While executing the search warrant, officers encountered and arrested Williams’ girlfriend, Emariel Kanay Tyler, after they saw the outline of a firearm in her pants and a large amount of cash and a baggie of suspected drugs hanging out of the pockets of her jacket. Tyler, 20, of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024, to use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-67.
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Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Scheme to Defraud Boone County Schools Out of $3.4 MillionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jesse Marks, 65, of Rush, Kentucky, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Marks admitted to conspiring with Michael David Barker to overbill the Boone County Schools system while Barker was its maintenance director.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Marks was the sole owner and operator of Rush Enterprises when Barker contacted him in November 2019 about Rush Enterprises selling custodial and janitorial supplies to Boone County Schools. Marks agreed and began supplying Boone County Schools with supplies including hand soap, trash can liners, facemasks, face shields, and hand sanitizer.
Marks admitted that he and Barker entered into the overbilling scheme in November 2019. Barker submitted invoices to Boone County Schools on behalf of Rush Enterprises that significantly inflated the number of products that it was delivering. Boone County Schools relied on the fraudulent invoices and mailed checks to Rush Enterprises using the United States Postal Service.
As part of the agreement with Barker, Marks deposited the checks from Boone County Schools into the business bank account for Rush Enterprises, wrote himself checks on that account that he cashed at various banks, and personally delivered some of that cash to Barker in manila envelopes. Marks admitted that he and Barker initially agreed to evenly split the proceeds of the overbilling scheme after deducting the cost of the products actually delivered to Boone County Schools. Marks further admitted that their agreement changed in October 2020, when Barker began receiving 55 percent of the fraudulent profits.
Marks estimated that approximately 80 percent of the total payments received by Rush enterprises from Boone County Schools, or $3,448,571.85 out of $4,310,714.82, was for products never delivered.
Marks is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Marks also owes restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court.
A federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment on December 11, 2024, charging Barker, 47, of Foster, with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and money laundering. Barker’s trial is scheduled for April 15, 2025. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the West Virginia State Police, and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), and the assistance provided by the West Virginia Department of Education.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-6.
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Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Wendy Ann Thomas, 47, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting money laundering. Thomas admitted that $20,833 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), was deposited into her personal checking account.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the $20,833 was deposited into Thomas’ personal checking account on June 22, 2021. Thomas admitted that she allowed another individual to direct the PPP loan proceeds to her account, that she knew the deposited PPP loan proceeds were criminally derived, and that the PPP loan was issued in the name of an individual Thomas does not know. Thomas further admitted that she withdrew $17,000 from her personal checking account on June 23, 2021, and knew the cash withdrawal represented most of the criminally derived PPP loan proceeds.
Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Thomas also owes $20,833 in restitution.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-172.
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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jason Allen Rhule, 44, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2024, Rhule was on parole for prior felony convictions when parole officers conducted a search of his residence as a condition of his supervision and found a Taurus model PT-140 Millenium G2 .40-caliber pistol and a Palmetto State Armory model PA-15 multi-caliber rifle in his bedroom.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Rhule knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of his prior felony convictions for attempted manufacture of a controlled substance in Putnam County Circuit Court on October 3, 2022, and attempted grand larceny in Kanawha County Circuit Court on July 31, 2023.
Rhule is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of West Virginia Parole Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-157.
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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Edgar Warren Willis Jr., 39, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 27, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Red Oak Street residence in Charleston where Willis was staying. Officers found a backpack in a bedroom containing a Lorcin Engineering Model L380 .380-caliber pistol during the search. Willis admitted to possessing the seized firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Willis knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, to-wit heroin, on January 21, 2022, and for wanton endangerment and conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver a controlled substance, to-wit heroin, on August 10, 2015, all in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
Willis is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department-Street Crimes Unit.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Samuel D. Marsh is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-89.
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Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty to Marriage Fraud and PerjuryRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kalee Ann Huff, 27, of Fairbury, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to marriage fraud and perjury.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 3, 2021, Huff married a foreign national in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Huff admitted that she agreed to marry the foreign national in exchange for $10,000, as part of a plan to keep him in the United States as his immigration visa was about to expire. Huff further admitted that she and the foreign national planned to divorce once he obtained lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as a Green Card.
Huff also admitted that she was pressured to enter the fake marriage scheme by two members of her family with whom she was living in Greenbrier County, because the family needed money to pay for household expenses. One of the two family members, brother-in-law Joseph Sanchez, pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025, to participating in an immigration marriage fraud conspiracy. Sanchez admitted to helping to arrange the fake marriage, with the understanding that half of the $10,000 would be paid upon the marriage being final and the other $5,000 would be paid once the foreign national received his Green Card. Huff admitted that only $5,000 of the promised amount was ever paid and that she never directly received or spent the money.
On October 17, 2021, Huff signed a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Huff listed her address as an apartment in White Sulphur Springs. Huff admitted that address was the foreign national’s and that she never lived there, and that he caused to be filed a falsified lease agreement with immigration officials listing her as a co-tenant of the apartment.
On March 8, 2023, Sanchez drove Huff and the foreign national to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the trip was for Huff and the foreign national to attend an interview with U.S. immigration officials and trick those officials into believing the marriage was entered into in good faith and that the relationship between Huff and the foreign national was genuine. The scheme was unsuccessful, and the foreign national’s application was denied. Huff admitted that the foreign national coached her on how to lie about their relationship and marriage in advance of the interview.
On August 8, 2023, immigration officers confronted Huff about the fake marriage scheme, and she signed a statement admitting that she knowingly entered into the marriage for the purpose of evading U.S. immigration laws. Huff also told the officers that the foreign national had threatened her by stating she would go to prison if she did not continue helping him obtain a Green Card.
On December 10, 2024, Huff appeared before a federal grand jury in Charleston, pursuant to a subpoena and a cooperation provision in the marriage fraud case against her. Huff admitted that she committed perjury during her grand jury testimony when she answered questions falsely about material facts relating to the government’s investigation.
Huff is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Sanchez, 33, of Fairbury, Illinois,is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 5:25-cr-20 and 2:25-cr-23.
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Will Thompson Concludes His Service as United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Will Thompson announced today that he has concluded his tenure as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, effective immediately.
“Serving as the United States Attorney has genuinely been a career highlight,” Thompson said. “Thinking that a boy who grew up in Boone County, West Virginia, would be able to serve his country in such a prestigious and vital role leaves me in awe. I am proud of the office’s work under my leadership and that my team has strengthened its relationship and reputation with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, as well as with the judiciary and general public.”
Thompson was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., on August 10, 2021. The United States Senate confirmed Thompson by voice vote on October 5, 2021. After taking his oath of office on October 13, 2021, Thompson led an office of 34 attorneys and 41 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley.
Thompson appreciates the role that former Senator Joe Manchin played in securing his nomination from President Biden, and the role that Manchin and Senator Shelley Moore Capito played in getting him confirmed by the United States Senate. Thompson also appreciates the relationships he built and strengthened with state officials and the district’s state prosecutors, sheriffs, and chiefs of police.
Thompson commends the Assistant United States Attorneys and support personnel who served with him. He appreciates the career people who there when he entered the office and the employees he hired during his tenure.
“The people of this office are the true backbone of federal prosecution and representation in this district,” Thompson said. “They all serve with dignity and respect for the rule of law. They are vital to the mission of the Department of Justice, which is to keep our communities safe.”
Thompson is most proud of three accomplishments while he was in office. The first is the significant decline in overdose deaths. He attributes that to his office’s change of strategy from targeting street-level drug dealers to mid- and upper-level drug distributors. This strategy has removed hundreds of pounds of this poison from communities throughout the district. His office has disrupted supply chains of fentanyl that were coming directly into the district from China and methamphetamine that was coming directly from the cartels in Mexico. As part of his plan to lower the overdose rates, Thompson also championed prevention and treatment opportunities across the district.
Thompson is also proud of his work in reducing violent crime and overall crime in the district. Thompson attributes this reduction to several factors. He improved communications and relationships with the office’s law enforcement partners. Thompson also worked with state and local partners to obtain federal grants to give them more resources to their jobs more. Finally, given that the majority of crimes in West Virginia are connected to the drug trade, the office’s revised strategy has helped reduce the crime rate.
The third accomplishment that Thompson is proud of is using his skills as a former trial court judge to instigate a vigorous review process of cases to ensure there were no evidentiary issues. Thompson met with law enforcement partners throughout the district and informed them of this new review process. He had his office work more closely with the officers to address the issues, assist with writing search warrants, and help with other search and seizure issues.
As United States Attorney, Thompson was the chief federal law enforcement officer in the southern half of West Virginia. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
The results of the revised approach to drug cases under Thompson include Operation Smoke and Mirrors, which dismantled a high-volume drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area and yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history.
Following the trail of methamphetamine in West Virginia back to Los Angeles, California, and the U.S. southern border, investigators seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms, and $935,000 in cash. The DTO was directly involved in price fixing in the methamphetamine trade by raising the price of methamphetamine coming into the United States from Mexico based on fluctuations in the currency conversion rate.
Four separate indictments led to the convictions of 31 defendants, including the DTO’s in-state leaders and California-based suppliers. Over 20 defendants have been sentenced to prison, including eight to terms of more than 10 years. Three low-level defendants were referred to the Alternative Treatment Court (ATC). Thompson also supported the ATC program, which provides a blend of treatment that focuses on drug and mental health treatment, and alternative sanctions to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and education and job skills training.
Thompson also led the prosecution of a Kanawha County man who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. The defendant set up a workshop in a rented St. Albans apartment were he made fake 30-milligram oxycodone pills. The defendant admitted that the fentanyl came from a source outside the United States and that the pill press came from China. Investigators seized over 10,000 pills and nearly $80,000 in this case.
Thompson’s office also obtained guilty verdicts against a Logan County physician for four counts of distribution of a controlled substance. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to using a registration number in violation of federal law and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. His medical license and office are subject to forfeit to the government as a result of the latest convictions.
The office under Thompson also secured convictions against the majority of the defendants in prosecutions that dismantled a Huntington-area DTO responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl and a Beckley-area DTO that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
While having the utmost respect for law enforcement officers, Thompson had zero tolerance for officers who break the law and violate people’s civil rights. In what Thompson considered the most critical civil rights case during his tenure, he personally participated in the investigation and prosecution of eight former West Virginia correctional officers who were charged and convicted in connection with a March 1, 2022, assault that resulted in the death of a Southern Regional Jail inmate and the subsequent cover-up. After four days of trial, the final defendant was found guilty on January 27, 2025.
A former Fayette County law enforcement officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution for sex trafficking a 17-year-old minor female and obstructing the resulting investigation. Following four days of trial, a federal jury found the defendant guilty on April 28, 2023, of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice.
A former Nicholas County deputy sheriff was convicted of the production of child pornography and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The defendant took two videos of the child victim, who was under the age of 12 and was sleeping on a couch. In the first video, he walked toward her and zoomed in on her buttocks. In the second video, he recorded his exposed penis and him masturbating near the sleeping girl. He then used Snapchat to distribute the videos to multiple users. When Snapchat shut down his account, he created another Snapchat account to distribute child pornography.
A former Logan police officer was sentenced to nine years in prison after a jury convicted him of using excessive force against an arrestee. At the trial, the jury heard evidence that he assaulted the victim in a bathroom, then dragged him into another room and rammed his head against a door frame, leaving the victim unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood.
The office successfully prosecuted 18 individuals in connection with a scheme to traffic over 140 firearms from southern West Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 50 of the firearms were recovered at crime scenes, primarily in Philadelphia, and were connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses. The ringleader was sentenced to 25 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The Southern District of West Virginia became a national leader in prosecuting bankruptcy fraud under Thompson’s leadership. Among those cases, a Charleston developer was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $730,326.43 in restitution for falsifying bankruptcy records. The former chief executive officer of the entity that operated the West Virginia Courtesy Patrol was sentenced to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $205,802.49 for fraudulent receipt of property from a debtor. A Putnam County man was sentenced to 30 days in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, including five months on home detention, and ordered to pay $24,662.56 in restitution for knowingly and fraudulently making a false declaration in a bankruptcy case.
The office successfully prosecuted other forms of white-collar crime under Thompson. A Kentucky businessman pleaded guilty on behalf of himself and two limited liability companies for their roles in the January 2018 discharge of oil into the Big Sandy River. The defendants were sentenced to terms of probation and also ordered to pay $1,856,957.92 in restitution. The LLC defendants cannot conduct or operate any business during their five-year terms of corporate probation.
Nine defendants were convicted in connection with multiple internet-based fraud schemes operated in the Huntington area that defrauded hundreds of individuals across the country. The schemes defrauded at least 200 victims, many of whom are elderly, of at least $2.5 million. The final convicted defendant was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $904,126.96 in restitution, and participated in a digital awareness campaign to alert West Virginians to online fraud scams.
The office also secured 20 convictions related to COVID-19 benefits fraud under Thompson, with court-ordered restitution and a civil penalty in these cases exceeding $1,330,000.
Under Thompson’s leadership, the office secured a 15-count indictment charging a Kanawha County man with wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction. The indictment alleges the defendant conceived and carried out two real estate-related investment fraud schemes that caused losses of between $395,000 and $434,501.42. The defendant’s mother pleaded guilty late last year to aiding and abetting the sale and offer of unregistered securities as a result of the investigation in this case.
The office also secured an 18-count indictment charging the former maintenance director for Boone County Schools with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and money laundering. The indictment alleges the defendant used his position to defraud the Boone County Board of Education out of approximately $3,400,000. To date, three other individuals have been charged as a result of this investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Before taking office as United States Attorney, Thompson was a Circuit Court Judge in West Virginia’s 25th Judicial Circuit. He was appointed to that position in 2007 and re-elected in 2008 and 2016. Thompson presided over several treatment courts, including the first family treatment court in West Virginia. Before becoming a Circuit Court Judge, Thompson practiced law at the Cook and Cook law firm in Boone County. There, he focused on litigation, which included representing several hundred indigent clients in criminal defense and other matters. Thompson also previously served as President of Madison Healthcare, Inc. and as Vice President of Danville Lumber Company.
Thompson was born in Charleston and raised in Boone County, West Virginia. He earned a degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Ampless Ray Lilly, 52, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about February 20, 2023, through on or about April 23, 2024, Lilly knowingly received approximately 2,900 images and 1,100 videos containing child pornography on his mobile phone while accessing the internet from his Huntington residence. Lilly admitted that the child pornography he downloaded included depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and depictions of minor children subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. Lilly further admitted that he distributed images and videos containing child pornography through the internet.
Lilly is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Lilly is a registered sex offender as a result of his guilty plea to first-degree sexual assault in Lincoln County Circuit Court on January 22, 1993. During the time period of the current offense, Lilly began serving a five-year term of probation imposed on November 13, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 14, 2023. A petition to revoke that probation has been filed and is currently pending.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-15.
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Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Charleston Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tres Avery Davis, 36, of Charleston, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Davis admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 7, 2023, Davis delivered approximately 2,000 blue pills containing fentanyl to a Kemp Avenue residence in Charleston. Law enforcement seized the pills at the residence on March 9, 2023. Davis admitted that he intended to distribute at least some of these pills to other people.
Davis is among 31 defendants convicted of federal crimes as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.
Davis dealt directly with a fentanyl supplier and personally acquired fentanyl pills for redistribution as part of his role in the DTO. Davis also recruited a co-conspirator to act as a courier to transport fentanyl pills from Columbus, Ohio, to Charleston, West Virginia.
Davis also distributed methamphetamine as part of his role in the DTO. He was responsible for 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine that were seized from a location in Charleston, and performed several methamphetamine transactions during the course of the investigation. Davis admitted that he sold methamphetamine in one-half pound to one pound quantities.
Davis has a long criminal history that includes more than a dozen prior convictions for such offenses as being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, distribution of cocaine base, possession of a controlled substance, and domestic battery.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31.
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Summers County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Matthew Harris England, 38, of Meadow Bridge, was sentenced today to one year and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 3, 2023, law enforcement responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at England’s residence in Meadow Bridge. When law enforcement entered the residence, they found and seized a Savage model Stevens 94F, 20-gauge shotgun with a modified and shortened barrel and a modified and shortened stock on a chair in the living room. England was arrested, and told officers he knew the firearm was in the residence and that the length of its barrel appeared to be illegal.
The short-barreled shotgun was not registered to England in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law. Federal law also prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. England knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for aiding and abetting the possession of stolen firearms in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on May 9, 2014.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Summers County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-93.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Israel Chaires-Villa, 22, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 6, 2024, Chaires-Villa drove to Cross Lanes, West Virginia, from Houston, Texas, with approximately 22 lbs. of methamphetamine in his possession that he intended to deliver to another person in Cross Lanes. Chaires-Villa was arrested as part of a joint investigation by federal and local law enforcement into a conspiracy that was responsible for delivering large quantities of methamphetamine to West Virginia and elsewhere from Houston.
Chaires-Villa is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had previously put an administrative detainer on Chaires-Villa so that deportation proceedings can occur once Chaires-Villa serves the sentence imposed in this case.
The joint investigation also resulted in the indictment of German Francisco Diaz, also known as “Trulio,” 40, Braulio Villa-Chairez, also known as “Raul,” 31, and Silvester Barcenas, 23. The indictment alleges the three Mexican nationals conspired to distribute quantities of methamphetamine in the Charleston area from in or about March 2024 to in or about October 2024. Trial is scheduled for April 15, 2025. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-175.
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Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Withholding Information in Bankruptcy CaseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – James Eugene Wells, 73, of Marmet, pleaded guilty today to withholding records relating to the property or financial affairs of a debtor in bankruptcy from an officer of the court or a United States Trustee entitled to its possession.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2022, a Charleston business solely owned by Wells’ wife filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Wells helped with the business’ day-to-day management, including by overseeing many of its financial affairs, but was never an employee of the business. Wells admitted that he applied for and obtained five loans in the business’ name after the bankruptcy filing, from February 2023 through February 2024. Wells further admitted that he did not disclose the existence of the loans to the United States Trustee, who oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases in the Southern District of West Virginia.
On January 31, 2024, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court held a hearing on the U.S. Trustee’s motion to dismiss the business’ bankruptcy case. That day, the bankruptcy lawyer for the business informed the U.S. Trustee of the existence of one of the four loans that Wells had obtained by that time in the business’ name. Wells admitted that during the motion hearing, including while the bankruptcy judge questioned him under oath, he did not disclose the existence of the other three loans. Wells further admitted that the fifth loan, obtained on February 8, 2024, was not approved by the bankruptcy court or disclosed to the U.S. Trustee. On February 21, 2024, the bankruptcy court dismissed the business’ bankruptcy case.
A total of $68,000 was obtained in proceeds from the five loans and used for the business’ operations. The lender charged the business $9,700 in fees.
Wells is scheduled to be sentenced on May 5, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The United States Trustee’s Charleston field office, which serves West Virginia, made the criminal referral of this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Department of Justice whose mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-7.
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Detroit Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tristian Gerrell-Robert Murphy, 36, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to two years and 11 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 10, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Murphy in St. Albans. Murphy admitted to possessing a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard .380-caliber pistol, found by officers under the driver’s seat of the vehicle, and a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol found by officers in the trunk. Murphy admitted that he had recently purchased the two pistols. Officers also found a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm pistol in the vehicle’s glove box.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Murphy knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for conspiracy to commit a Hobbs Act robbery in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on October 21, 2021. In that case, Murphy participated in a sophisticated nationwide crime conspiracy responsible for dozens of “smash and grab” robberies targeting jewelry stores throughout the United States. Murphy was convicted for his role in the robbery of a jewelry store in Jacksonville, Florida, as part of this conspiracy. Murphy and his co-conspirators entered the store while armed with hammers, smashed glass counters and stole diamonds and other jewelry. During the robbery, an employee was pushed to the floor and then dragged to another part of the store.
At the time of his current offense, Murphy was serving a term of supervised release as a result of his October 21, 2021 conviction.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department and the assistance provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-101.
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Beckley Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Myles Robert Williams, 37, of Beckley, was sentenced today to eight years and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 26, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Williams in Beckley. The traffic stop occurred shortly after a controlled purchase of drugs was made from Williams. Officers searched the vehicle and found a Ruger model EC9S 9mm semi-automatic handgun, 41 grams of fentanyl, and $1,179. Williams admitted that he possessed the firearm and used it for protection.
Williams further admitted to possessing the fentanyl found in his vehicle, and that he intended to distribute it. Williams also admitted that he sold 1.3 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Beckley shortly before officers conducted the traffic stop.
On April 17, 2024, law enforcement officers responding to a reported shooting at a Beckley residence encountered Williams outside the residence and found a Springfield model Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol on the ground near Williams. Officers also found an individual with a gunshot wound to the leg outside the residence. Williams told officers that he fired the pistol inside the residence.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Williams knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for common law robbery in Lincoln County, North Carolina, Superior Court on September 10, 2013.
Williams has a long criminal history that also includes prior convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, trafficking opium or heroin, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-79.
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Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to EscapeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kishaun Andre Jones, 25, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to escape after walking away from a federal reentry facility.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 2, 2024, Jones left Dismas Charities Inc., a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry facility in St. Albans, without permission. Jones was confined at Dismas Charities as a result of his conviction for distribution of methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on February 23, 2023.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-21.
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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justin Saunders, 27, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 3, 2024, Saunders sold approximately 896 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential source. Saunders admitted to the transaction and that it occurred at his residence on the 1400 block of Quarrier Street in Charleston.
On February 4, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Saunders’ residence and seized quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and metonitazene, a synthetic opioid.
Saunders is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Samuel D. Marsh is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-70.
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Mingo County Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Terry Randall Hinkle, 56, of Delbarton, was sentenced today to ten years in prison, to be followed by ten years of supervised release, for receiving child pornography. Hinkle must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 30, 2023, Hinkle received multiple images depicting child pornography via Facebook from another user. Hinkle admitted that the child pornography he received on Facebook included images depicting nude prepubescent females with their legs spread to display their genitals. Hinkle further admitted that he possessed approximately 24 videos and 46 images depicting child pornography. Hinkle also admitted that he sent an image depicting a nude minor female with her legs spread to expose her genitals via Facebook to another user on September 25, 2023.
Hinkle solicited another individual online to produce and send him images of child pornography depicting minors in that individual’s custody. However, the other individual never sent the requested photos.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-110.
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South Carolina Woman Sentenced for Money Laundering in Relation to COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Anna Marie Omar, 51, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation, including six months on home detention, and ordered to pay $23,410.60 in restitution for money laundering by engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Omar admitted that she fraudulently obtained a $20,833 PPP loan guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 30, 2021, Omar applied for a PPP forgivable loan while living in Bluefield, West Virginia. PPP loans were available to qualifying independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other expenses. Omar admitted that she falsely represented that she was an independent contractor, that she had earned $152,000 in gross income in that capacity during tax year 2020, that she earned that income while working for a water processing business, and that she had been in business since 2010. Omar further admitted that she obtained the COVID-19 relief money for her own personal use.
A PPP lender approved Omar’s loan application and deposited $20,833 in loan proceeds into Omar’s personal checking account on May 17, 2021. Omar admitted that she transferred $12,216.70 of the loan proceeds from her personal checking account to her personal savings account the following day.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), Homeland Security Investigations, the Horry County South Carolina Sheriff’s Office and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-36.
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Georgia Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Nehmiah Allen-Griggs, also known as “Newski,” 23, of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced today to ten years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Allen-Griggs admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 1, 2023, Allen-Griggs distributed approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in a Huntington parking lot in exchange for $2,000.
On November 15, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Highlawn Avenue residence in Huntington and seized quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a Landor Arms Canyon Arms 12-gauge shotgun, a Walther P22 .22-caliber pistol equipped with a silencer, a Kel-Teck .22-caliber pistol, and various rounds of ammunition. Allen-Griggs admitted that he and others used the residence to store and distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Allen-Griggs is among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Allen-Griggs is also among 22 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180.
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Logan County Physician Found Guilty of Drug Crimes by Federal JuryRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After four days of trial, a federal jury convicted Brian McDevitt, D.O., 61, of Chapmanville, today of four counts of distribution of a controlled substance and also found that McDevitt's West Virginia medical license and the Chapmanville Medical Clinic, which he operated as a sole practitioner, are subject to forfeiture.
Evidence at trial proved that McDevitt provided controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose when he wrote prescriptions for hydrocodone on May 17, 2022, and March 29, 2024, and alprazolam on May 18, 2022, and March 29, 2024.
McDevitt is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.
McDevitt previously pleaded guilty on January 20, 2010 to conspiracy to use a registration number in violation of federal law and to engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. McDevitt admitted that he allowed others to use his federal registration number to distribute the prescription diet drug phentermine and then converted the cash proceeds from the conspiracy for his personal benefit. On June 29, 2010, McDevitt was sentenced to one year and one day, followed by three years of supervised release, and fined $60,000 for these prior convictions.
“Dr. McDevitt was one of the original drug dealers in a lab coat, and did not learn his lesson from his prior convictions and prison sentence,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Instead, he chose to continue violating his ethical duties and responsibilities as a physician to enrich himself at the expense of vulnerable West Virginians.”
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force, which consists of members of the Mingo County Sheriff's Office, the Logan County Sheriff's Office, the Boone County Sheriff's Office, and the West Virginia State Police, conducted the investigation.
“Dr. McDevitt chose to put his own greed above the health and well-being of his patients, causing great harm in the process,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “Doctors are expected to follow their oath to first do no harm; when they intentionally prescribe controlled substances in a manner outside of accepted medical norms, they reduce themselves to drug dealers in lab coats and they should expect to meet the full measure of our justice system.”
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the jury trial. Assistant United States Attorneys Owen Reynolds and Andrew J. Tessman are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-96.
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Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – James E. Monroe Jr., 59, of Daniels, pleaded guilty today to money laundering.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 25, 2022, Monroe filed a petition for personal bankruptcy. Monroe knew he was required to submit true and correct schedules listing his assets and a statement detailing his financial affairs as part of the bankruptcy process. Monroe admitted that he sold his collection of over 10,000 sports trading cards after filing for bankruptcy and without disclosing its existence or its post-petition sale in the bankruptcy filings as required. Monroe further admitted that he sold the collection to a friend online to convert the collection into cash and disguise the nature of the resulting proceeds.
Monroe admitted that his asset schedules and statement of financial affairs also did not disclose the December 2021 sale of his marital home in the Glade Springs residential development for $525,000, or the existence of a retirement account, two loans he obtained by using the equity associated with his whole-life insurance policy as collateral, and a storage unit he rented in the Shady Spring area that contained property belonging to the bankruptcy estate. Monroe further admitted that his schedules falsely stated that his then-minor daughter lived with him and was his dependent when neither was true.
Monroe is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The United States Trustee’s Charleston field office, which serves West Virginia, made the criminal referral of this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Department of Justice whose mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-121.
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Raleigh County Woman Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Melanie E. Hussain, 25, of Crab Orchard, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 2, 2022, Hussain sold approximately 4.2 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $300. Hussain admitted to the transaction and to selling 2.3 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant in exchange for $300 on November 3, 2022. Hussain conducted both transactions at her Crab Orchard residence.
Hussain is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-137.
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Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Nolvin Alfredo-Diaz, also known as “Alfredo Diaz” and “Nolvin Alfredo Diaz,” 42, a Honduran national, pleaded guilty today to reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 21, 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Alfredo-Diaz in Lewisburg. Alfredo-Diaz admitted that he was a citizen of Honduras in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported from the United States. Alfredo-Diaz had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States.
Fingerprints matched Alfredo-Diaz to two prior removals from the United States to Honduras. On December 27, 2006, Alfredo-Diaz was removed from the United States to Honduras following his felony conviction for controlled substance-possession Schedule I, to wit, heroin, in Denver County, Colorado, District Court on September 25, 2006. On September 6, 2007, Alfredo-Diaz was found in Denver, Colorado, and convicted of controlled substance-possession Schedule II, to wit, cocaine, in Denver County, Colorado, District Court on December 20, 2007. On July 21, 2010, Alfredo-Diaz was found in Canon City, Colorado, and was removed from the United States to Honduras on August 5, 2010.
Alfredo-Diaz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States for either of the prior removals, nor did he seek to reenter the United States through other legal means.
Alfredo-Diaz is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Alfredo-Diaz will be subject to deportation proceedings at the conclusion of any sentence.
“This federal criminal case underscores our office’s commitment to pursuing illegal reentry cases, especially in circumstances where the offender has a criminal history,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Here, Mr. Diaz has two felony convictions for drug offenses and has been removed from the United States on multiple occasions. This will be Mr. Diaz’s third felony conviction. Our office will diligently and aggressively pursue these types of immigration cases.”
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-146.
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Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jason Douglas MaComber, 52, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 12, 2023, MaComber possessed a Remington model 870 Wingmaster 12-gauge shotgun in St. Albans.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. MaComber knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession of dangerous drugs/controlled substances on November 20, 2007, possession of a firearm by a felon on June 24, 2014, and illegal firearm transportation on July 1, 2019, all in San Bernardino, California, Superior Court.
The shotgun had a modified and shortened barrel. The short-barreled shotgun was not registered to MaComber in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.
MaComber is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-148.
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Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Allen Lation Baird, 48, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Baid on an arrest warrant issued in Michigan. Officers searched Baird while taking him into custody and found approximately 56 grams of a substance containing fentanyl and 14 grams of methamphetamine. Baird told officers he was taking the controlled substances to someone else.
Baird is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-183.
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Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Anthony Darnell Deberry, 40, of Beckley, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2023, Deberry sold a controlled substance containing fentanyl to a confidential informant at Deberry’s residence in Beckley. Deberry admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling fentanyl to the confidential informant on four other occasions within Raleigh County.
On July 5, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Deberry’s residence and found two 9mm handguns, 9mm ammunition, $2,000 and approximately 76.5 grams of fentanyl. Deberry admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl found during the search.
Deberry has a long criminal history that includes three prior convictions for drug offenses and a prior conviction for unlawful possession of weapons.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-28.
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Lincoln County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jason L. Norman, 42, of Ranger, was sentenced today to one year one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 10, 2023, Norman possessed a Smith & Wesson model M&P 15 .223-caliber rifle and a Mossberg model 500A 12-gauge shotgun at his residence in Ranger.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Norman knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following his felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Lincoln County Circuit Court on April 13, 2017.
The investigation of the current offense revealed that Norman also possessed a third firearm, a Glock semi-automatic pistol, that he sold to another individual.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess and former Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-94.
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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tyrece Ramone Phillips, 38, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 3, 2024, law enforcement officers intercepted a United States Postal Service package addressed to Phillips’ Charleston residence. Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for the package, and found it continued approximately 572.2 grams of a substance containing fentanyl. Investigators placed a sham substance in the seized package and conducted a controlled delivery of the package to Phillips’ residence on October 4, 2024. Phillips took the package inside the residence after the controlled delivery. Investigators executed a search warrant at Phillips’ residence and found Phillips with the sham substance from the package in his hands in an upstairs bathroom. Investigators also found a scale with residue and a large amount of cash in the residence during the search.
Phillips is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney J. Parker Bazzle II is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-177.
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Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Kevin Wray Terrell, 39, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Terrell admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl and in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Terrell admitted to working with a co-conspirator to obtain and distribute controlled substances in April and May 2024. On May 15, 2024, the co-conspirator told Terrell about a supplier prepared to sell controlled substances to them, and the two discussed providing $6,000 to this supplier for drugs they planned to distribute in and around the Southern District of West Virginia. On May 20, 2024, Terrell drove the co-conspirator to Baltimore, Maryland, whether they purchased approximately $6,000 worth of fentanyl.
Terrell and his co-conspirator returned to West Virginia the next day and discussed increasing the volume of the purchased fentanyl by adding such cutting agents as sugar and brown sugar. On May 30, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Terrell’s residence in Beckley and seized 136 grams of fentanyl.
Terrell is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Terrell is among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack,” within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. Terrell is also among 11 defendants who have pleaded guilty, including two defendants who pleaded guilty to separate charges in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment. The charges against one remaining co-defendant are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-90.
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Parkersburg Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Charleston Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael Dale Cain, 49, of Parkersburg, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Cain admitted to a role in a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about January 2024 to in or about May 2024, Cain conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in Charleston and within the Southern District of West Virginia. On May 5, 2024, co-conspirator Anthony Michael Mowery arranged for Cain to travel to Charleston for the purpose of picking up approximately 3 pounds of methamphetamine from another co-conspirator, Kirt Ray King, that Cain intended to transport to Parkersburg and distribute to others. After Cain acquired the methamphetamine, he was stopped by law enforcement officers who searched his vehicle, seized the methamphetamine, and arrested Cain.
King, 48, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. Anthony Michael Mowery, 48, of Parkersburg, also pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. King and Mowery are scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2025.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-95.
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Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Joseph Sanchez, 33, of Fairbury, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to participating in an immigration marriage fraud conspiracy.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in or around August 2021, Sanchez was living in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. A foreign national who worked at a convenience store near Sanchez’s residence offered to pay Sanchez if he found a woman willing to marry the foreign national so he could obtain lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as a Green Card. Sanchez ultimately agreed to the request in exchange for $10,000 in cash. The understanding was that $5,000 would be paid upon the marriage being final, and another $5,000 would be paid once the foreign national received his Green Card.
Sanchez arranged to have his sister-in-law marry the foreign national. Sanchez told his sister-in-law about the purpose of the arrangement and the financial benefits associated with it. The sister-in-law had only occasionally interacted with the foreign national, as a customer at his convenience store. The sister-in-law and Sanchez had no social connections to the foreign national beyond frequenting the convenience store.
In September 2021, Sanchez’s sister-in-law and the foreign national were married in White Sulphur Springs. In March 2023, Sanchez traveled with the sister-in-law and the foreign national to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the trip was for the sister-in-law and the foreign national to attend an interview with U.S. immigration officials to trick those officials into believing the marriage was entered into in good faith and that the relationship between the sister-in-law and the foreign national was genuine. The scheme was unsuccessful, and the foreign national’s application was denied.
Sanchez is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-198.
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