Southern District of West Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
U.S. Attorney announces more results in Bluefield Pill InitiativeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced a two-year prison sentence and two guilty pleas in federal court in Bluefield.
Leonard Carey Rucker, 44, of Princeton, West Virginia, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for distributing heroin. He pleaded guilty in February, admitting that on November 4, 2014, he distributed heroin to a confidential informant in Princeton.
Craig Arnold Young, 42, of Lashmeet, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to using a communication facility to facilitate a felony, admitting that on December 16, 2014, he used a telephone in or near Lashmeet to help carry out a drug transaction with an informant. Shortly after the telephone conversation, Young distributed hydromorphone to the informant. Young faces up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on November 3, 2015.
Aree Lumpkins, 19, of Bluefield, also pleaded guilty to use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony. He admitted that on October 30, 2014, he used a telephone in Bluefield to help set up a drug transaction with an informant. After the telephone conversation, he distributed cocaine base and hydromorphone to the informant. Lumpkins faces up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for November 3, 2015.
The hearings in all the cases were conducted by Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber.
These cases were investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force in Bluefield under the Bluefield Pill Initiative, part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiates--including illegal painkillers and heroin--in communities across the Southern District. Assistant United States Attorney John File prosecuted these cases.
Charleston felon pleads guilty to illegally possessing handgunRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Travis Leonard Sumpter, 38, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On December 4, 2014, members of the Charleston Police Department found Sumpter to be in possession of a Cobra Enterprises .38 Special derringer. Sumpter was prohibited from possessing a firearm by virtue of a 2007 felony conviction in Kanawha County Circuit Court for wanton endangerment involving a firearm.
Sumpter faces up to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced on October 7, 2015, by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
This case was investigated by the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of the prosecution.
Huntington woman gets federal prison time for dealing heroinRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington woman caught selling heroin last year was sentenced today to six months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Sunshine Renae Midkiff, 35, previously pleaded guilty in April 2015 to distributing heroin. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed today’s sentence.
On October 16, 2014, Midkiff met an informant working with the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force in the 2200 block of Artisan Avenue in Huntington and sold heroin to the informant. Midkiff also sold heroin to an informant in Huntington in September 2014.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Huntington man sentenced to federal prison for selling oxycodoneRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man who illegally sold oxycodone pills in 2013 and 2014 was sentenced today to two years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Clinton Mack Mount, 38, pleaded guilty in April 2015 to distributing oxycodone. Today’s sentence was imposed by Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
On January 13, 2014, Mount met an informant working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) outside a Barboursville restaurant and sold the informant 100 oxycodone pills for $3,000. Mount also sold oxycodone pills to an informant on three other occasions from December 2013 to January 2014.
The DEA and Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Detroit man pleads guilty - tried to hide heroin in police carRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man who participated in a Huntington heroin distribution conspiracy in 2013 and 2014 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Khaleef Teron Chandler, 21, entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute heroin. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers conducted the plea hearing.
On August 31, 2013, officers with the Huntington Police Department responded to a report of an altercation at 747 Washington Avenue in Huntington. Officers encountered Chandler at the residence. While talking with officers, Chandler attempted to conceal a plastic bag containing heroin.
Several months later, on February 9, 2014, Chandler was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Lakeisha Sherrell Williams that was stopped in Lawrence County, Ohio, by the Ohio Highway Patrol. Chandler and Williams were placed in the rear seat of a patrol vehicle during the stop. While in the police vehicle, Chandler and Williams attempted to conceal approximately 96 grams of heroin by stuffing it under the seat. Chandler and Williams were transporting the heroin from Detroit to Huntington, where they planned to distribute it. Chandler admitted as part of his plea that he distributed heroin in the Huntington area from August 2013 to February 2014.
Williams was previously sentenced to 37 months in federal prison in December 2014 for her role in the heroin conspiracy.
Chandler faces up to 20 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5, 2015.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation with assistance from the Huntington Police Department, Cabell County Sheriff’s Department and Ohio Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Columbus felon pleads guilty to illegally possessing pistolRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Randall Lee Walker Jr., 38, of Columbus, Ohio, entered a guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Walker admitted that on June 2, 2014, he had a .45 caliber Glock pistol in his backpack at the Greyhound bus station in Charleston.
Officers with the Charleston Police Department responded that day to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person with a gun at the bus station. Walker was approached by the officers. He admitted that he had the pistol and turned it over to them. Walker had previously been convicted of burglary and felony possession of cocaine in South Carolina and thus was prohibited from possessing the gun.
Walker faces up to ten years' imprisonment when he is sentenced on October 15, 2015, by United States District Court Judge Thomas E. Johnston.
This case was investigated by the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is in charge of the prosecution.
Three Mercer County men sentenced in federal court in BluefieldRead the Press Release
Bluefield, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that three Mercer County men were sentenced today in federal court in Bluefield. Lamar Baxter, 39, of Princeton, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for using a communication facility to facilitate a felony. Baxter pled guilty in March of 2015, admitting that on November 11, 2014, he used a telephone in Princeton to set up a drug deal with a confidential informant, and shortly thereafter distributed seven 30mg oxycodone pills to the informant. Baxter admitted distributing a total of about 100 30mg oxycodone pills and about 100 hydromorphone pills over a period of time.
Joshua Blevins, 31, of Bluefield, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for use of a communication facility to facilitate a felony. Blevins guilty in February of 2015, admitting that on November 21, 2014, he used a telephone in or near Bluewell to set up a drug deal with a confidential informant. Shortly after that telephone call, Blevins distributed one oxymorphone pill to the informant. Blevins admitted to distributing a total of four oxymorphone pills to the informant.
Carl E. Howard, 62, of Princeton, was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison for distributing hydromorphone. Howard pled guilty in February of 2015, and admitted that on July 8, 2014, he distributed two hydromorphone pills to a confidential informant in Princeton. He further admitted that he distributed a total of 13 hydromorphone pills and small quantities of cocaine base and heroin.
These cases were investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force under the Bluefield Pill Initiative, part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District. Assistant United States Attorney John File prosecuted these cases.
Former teacher pleads guilty to purchasing a firearm for a known felonRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Jennifer Napier, 39, of East Bank, West Virginia pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to straw purchasing a firearm for a person she knew to be a convicted felon. In October of 2011, Napier purchased a firearm from the Trading Post, a federally licensed firearms dealer, in Marmet, West Virginia, and she filled out a Department of Justice form required for anyone who purchases a firearm from a federally licensed dealer. On that form, Napier falsely stated that she was the transferee/buyer of the firearm, when she knew that the true transferee of the firearm was a different person who was prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms because he was a convicted felon. As part of her plea agreement, Napier agreed to voluntarily surrender her permanent professional teaching certificate and not reapply to get her certificate back until her federal sentence, including any term of supervision, has expired. Napier faces up to five years’ imprisonment when she is sentenced on October 14, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Charleston man sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – A Charleston man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston to 37 months in federal prison, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Travis Devon Woods, 26, previously pleaded guilty on March 12, 2015, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On December 16, 2013, on the West Side of Charleston, members of law enforcement approached Woods to discuss an incident that had occurred nearby. When officers asked Woods to stop to speak with them, Woods fled on foot down a nearby alley. After a brief chase, law caught Woods and found a loaded Taurus .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol in the alley where Woods fled. The West Virginia State Police Forensic Library matched Woods’s DNA to DNA recovered from the weapon.
Woods had previously been convicted in Kanawha County, West Virginia, in 2009 of nighttime burglary and first degree robbery. The sentence imposed by the federal court will run consecutive to a state sentence that he is currently serving for parole violations.
The Charleston Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald handled the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Former Arch Coal employee sentenced for lying about his role in kickback schemeRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Gary Griffith, 63, of Oceana, West Virginia, was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston to six months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine. Griffith, who pled guilty last summer, admitted he made a materially false statement in a federal matter. Griffith also admitted that he lied about receiving kickbacks as an employee of the Mountain Laurel Mining Complex, a coal mine in Logan County, West Virginia, associated with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arch Coal.
Griffith, the former maintenance manager at Mountain Laurel, admitted he and mine general manager David E. Runyon received cash kickbacks in the amount of at least $250,000 from an individual associated with the North American Rebuild Company, Inc (NARCO) since approximately 2002. NARCO provided shuttle cars to Arch Coal’s Ben Creek mine, and later at the Mountain Laurel Mining Complex. Griffith admitted that an individual, on behalf of NARCO, paid kickbacks to Griffith and Runyon for each shuttle car ordered for the mines. Griffith denied receiving kickbacks when questioned by federal agents.
Griffith was also ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to Arch Coal, Inc.
Today’s charge stems from an investigation being conducted by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas is in charge of the prosecution.
Detroit drug dealer pleads guilty to federal heroin chargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man found with heroin in Huntington in 2013 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. David Darrell Walker, 37, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Huntington to possession with intent to distribute heroin.
On August 8, 2013, members of the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 1301 15th Street in Huntington. Officers found Walker in the residence and seized approximately 35 grams of heroin, 42 oxycodone pills and two guns. Walker admitted as part of his guilty plea that he intended to distribute the heroin and pills from the residence.
Walker faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28, 2015.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force and Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
South Charleston man pleads guilty to federal drug chargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A South Charleston man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Michael Andrew Rude, 34, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it. Rude admitted that on April 23, 2015, he had heroin at his home in South Charleston that he intended to sell. Rude also admitted that he had sold heroin to a confidential informant working with law enforcement on several other occasions in April.
Rude faces up to twenty years of imprisonment when he is sentenced on October 1, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Metro Drug Enforcement Network Team. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
U.S. Attorney Goodwin and IRS award over $200,000 from criminal forfeitures to Wyoming County Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
Beckley, W.Va. – U. S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski presented Wyoming County law enforcement agencies with over $200,000 in forfeited cash as a result of their participation in joint investigations with the IRS. The objective of the federal asset forfeiture program is to take the profit out of crime and give it back to communities. Forfeiture proceeds are shared with state and local law enforcement agencies as a result of their direct participation in investigations resulting in forfeiture. The forfeited money shared today resulted from investigations into The New WV Mining Company, James Trent, Brandy Horvath, et al. and Jerry H. Harvey, Jr.. The agencies receiving a share of the forfeiture for their role of the investigations were the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department - $118,326; Pineville Police Department - $63,034; and the Wyoming County Prosecutor’s Office - $41,468.
As a result of their investigation, Brandy Horvath, President of The New WV Mining Company, Horvath’s then boyfriend James Thomas Trent of Rock View, Wyoming County, and others, were identified as having structured cash withdrawals from the company’s bank accounts. “Structuring” involves the breaking down of cash transactions in the amount of $10,000 or less for the purpose of avoiding bank reporting requirements to the IRS. Horvath was named New WV Mining’s president and sole officer of the company to conceal Trent’s interest in the company. New WV Mining began mining coal for Riverside Energy at a mine near Gary, McDowell County, West Virginia. Once operations began, Horvath routinely withdrew cash for her and Trent’s personal use from New WV Mining’s bank accounts and intentionally misrepresented the nature of the withdrawals as legitimate business expenses, knowing that the personal cash withdrawals would have been taxable to her. As President of New WV Mining, Horvath signed and caused the company’s accountant to file a corporate income tax return for the year 2008 that she knew failed to disclose the true amount of money she and Trent had taken from the company. Horvath pleaded guilty to tax evasion, and on behalf of New WV Mining, she pleaded guilty to structuring cash withdrawals from company bank accounts to avoid IRS reporting requirements. As a result, New WV Mining Company agreed to forfeit $731,581 and a 2011 Nissan 370z. Trent pleaded guilty to federal income tax fraud for reporting he had no earnings on his 2008 personal income tax return, although he had sold the lease and mining permits of a McDowell County-based mining company he owned for which he received $100,000. Horvath and Trent were sentenced to 26 months and 36 months in prison, respectively.
Wyoming County law enforcement was also awarded forfeited cash for their contributions to the investigation of Jerry H. Harvey, Jr., of Oceana, West Virginia. Harvey pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting structuring financial transactions to avoid IRS bank reporting requirements. Harvey admitted that for more than a year he intentionally made multiple bank withdrawals not exceeding $10,000 so the bank would not report the withdrawals to the IRS. He also admitted that the withdrawn funds were profits he made while engaged in the interstate transportation and receipt of stolen property, from which he gained more than $100,000. Pursuant to his plea agreement, Harvey forfeited $303,000 to the United States.
Over $200,000 in forfeited cash awarded to local law enforcement in Wyoming CountyRead the Press Release
Beckley, W.Va. – U. S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and IRS Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski will be presenting forfeited cash to the Wyoming County Prosecutor’s Office, Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department and the Pineville Police Department as a result of their assistance in the cases of U. S. v. Jerry Harvey, Jr. and U.S. v. James Trent.
WHAT: Presentation of forfeiture proceeds to local law enforcement agencies in Wyoming County as a result of their participation in joint investigations with the IRS.
WHEN: Friday, June 26, 2015, at 10:00am
WHERE: U.S. Courthouse & IRS Complex, 110 North Heber Street, Beckley, WV (weather permitting, the press conference will be in front of the building; if raining, it will take place in the lobby)
WHO: U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, IRS Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski, IRS Assistant Special Agent in Charge Guy Ficco, IRS Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gandee, IRS Special Agent Jeff Goode, Wyoming County Prosecutor Mike Cochrane, Wyoming County Sheriff Randall Aliff and Chief Deputy Sherill Parker, and Mayor Tim Ellison, representing the Pineville Police Department
Detroit drug dealer pleads guilty to federal drug chargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Anthony Curtis Beckley II, 34, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston to possessing oxycodone with the intent to distribute. Beckley admitted that on October 7, 2013, he possessed over 200 oxycodone pills that he intended to sell.
Beckley faces up to twenty years of imprisonment when he is sentenced on September 21, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Metro Drug Enforcement Network Team. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Boone County woman sentenced for role in oxycodone distributionRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Belinda Burdette, 43, of Racine, WV., was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston to five years of probation for using a cell phone to traffic drugs. Burdette previously pled guilty in March admitting that she had used her cell phone to arrange the delivery of oxycodone pills to a woman in Boone County. Burdette also admitted that she had obtained the oxycodone pills from a local K-Mart Pharmacy in Charleston where she was employed as a pharmacy technician and that neither she nor the person the pills were delivered to had a valid prescription for oxycodone.
The successful prosecution of Burdette was the result of the cooperative investigative efforts of agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Midway woman sentenced in federal court for obtaining drugs by fraudRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Olivia Dixon, 31, of Midway, West Virginia was sentenced today in federal court in Beckley to eight months in federal prison, followed by a one year term of supervised release. Dixon previously pled guilty in March of 2015, to acquiring hydromorphone and morphine sulfate by fraud. Dixon, a former nurse at Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley, West Virginia, admitted that on November 10, 2014, she stole pain medications intended for patients, including morphine, for her own personal use. This case was investigated by the Beckley Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and is being prosecuted under the Beckley Pill Initiative directed by the United States Attorney’s Office.
This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Glen Daniel man sentenced for federal drug trafficking chargeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Michael Erwin Basham, 35, of Glen Daniel, was sentenced today to serve two years in federal prison, followed by a one year term of supervised release. Basham previously pled guilty in February of 2015, to using a telephone to arrange a sale of oxycodone to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The phone call was made near Glen Daniel.
The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit conducted the investigation.
This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Former Fayette teacher pleads guilty to receiving child pornographyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A 31-year old man from Weirton, West Virginia pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Joshua Mark Taylor, a former teacher at Collins Middle School, in Oak Hill, West Virginia entered a guilty plea before United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. in Charleston.
According to court documents and proceedings, Taylor was employed by the Fayette County Board of Education as teacher at Collins Middle School from approximately March of 2013 to January of 2014. Taylor admitted that in November of 2013, he exchanged a large number of text messages with a 12-year-old female who was a student at the school. Taylor also admitted that from about November to January of 2014, he persuaded the student to take photographs of her genital area and send them to him on his cell phone. Taylor admitted to receiving the sexually explicit images on his cell phone on December 14, 2013. Finally, Taylor admitted to distributing or attempting to distribute the sexually explicit images through interstate commerce.
The investigation was initiated by the West Virginia State Police in January of 2014, after the father of the student reported her missing. Taylor picked the minor up at her family home and returned her to her home uninjured after she was missing for nearly 22 hours. The investigation led to Taylor’s arrest the next day in St. Marys, West Virginia. Prior to being arrested, Taylor sent the minor a text message urging her not to cooperate with the investigation or prosecution.
Taylor faces a mandatory prison sentence of 15 years, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Taylor will also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Goodwin credited the West Virginia State Police and the other law enforcement agencies that worked so hard on the investigation. “The collaborative efforts of the West Virginia State Police, West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation should be commended. Their cooperation brought yet another child predator to justice,” said Goodwin.
Assistant United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being brought as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.
Federal jury finds Columbus man guilty of drug traffickingRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Columbus, Ohio man who possessed heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in a Parkersburg hotel room was found guilty today by a federal jury, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. On August 4, 2013, drug task force officers arrested Toby Germaine Person, 39, and Amanda Sue White, 25, both of Columbus, Ohio, in their hotel room at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Parkersburg. The arrests followed the execution of a search warrant whereby police seized distribution quantities of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine along with cash, digital scales, and packaging materials. Officers obtained the search warrant after conducting a traffic stop of two individuals who had just purchased drugs from Person in the hotel room.
Person has an extensive history of drug trafficking that includes felony convictions in federal court in both Ohio and the Southern District of West Virginia. He was serving two concurrent terms of federal supervised release at the time of his arrest. White was convicted in Wood County on state charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to the state penitentiary.
Person faces up to 20 years in federal prison as a result of his conviction to be followed by up to a consecutive four years for having violated the terms of his supervised release when he is sentenced on October 5, 2015. United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the trial.
The case was investigated by personnel from the Parkersburg Police Department, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, and the West Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Hanks and Jennifer Rada Herrald handled the prosecution.
D.C. man sentenced to six years in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – A Washington D.C. convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston to six years in federal prison, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Sean Anthony Nalle, 30, previously pleaded guilty on March 23, 2015 to pawning a semiautomatic pistol at Carl’s Pawn Shop in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Nalle was previously convicted of drug trafficking felony offenses in the District of Columbia on March 24, 2006, and June 26, 2009. These convictions make it unlawful for him to possess a firearm.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Parkersburg Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks handled the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Convicted felon pleads guilty to possession with intent to deliver heroinRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Jazzmyn Rochon Litzy, aka Zoe, 35, from Cabell County, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Huntington to possession with intent to deliver heroin. In December of 2014, a member of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) working in an undercover capacity, bought drugs twice from Litzy. Following these drug deals , DEA obtained a search warrant for Litzy’s Huntington home at 127 Oakland Avenue. The search of the home yielded more than 70 grams of heroin, and several firearms. Litzy was previously convicted of robbery in 2001, and drug trafficking and tampering with evidence in 2007. These felony convictions make it a federal crime for Litzy to possess any firearm.
Litzy faces up to 20 years in federal prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21, 2015.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers, presided over the plea hearing.
The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Huntington Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is handling the prosecution.
Charleston heroin dealer pleads guilty in federal courtRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – Christopher Strick, 36, of Charleston, West Virginia pled guilty today in federal court in Charleston to distribution of heroin, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Strick admitted that on January 13, 2012, he sold heroin to a confidential informant working with the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (“MDent”) in exchange for $200.00. The transaction occurred at defendant’s Edgewood Drive residence.
Strick faces up to twenty years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine when sentenced on September 22, 2015.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of heroin and prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal heroin and pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
Another member of Newman Drug Network pleads guilty to drug traffickingRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Mark Silverburg, also known as “Dip,” 41, of Lexington, Kentucky and Alpharetta, Georgia, was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment in federal court in Huntington. Silverburg had previously pleaded guilty in October of 2014 to conspiring with others to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Silverburg admitted that between approximately 2010 and January 20, 2014, he supplied cocaine and marijuana for Kenneth Newman, also known as “K-Kutta.” Silverburg, along with others working for him, transported cocaine from the Lexington, Kentucky area to Newman in Huntington. One of those individuals, Leroy Wilson, previously plead guilty to his role as a courier of drugs and money for Silverburg.
On January 8, 2014, Wilson transported approximately $6,800 from Newman’s residence on Artisan Avenue in Huntington to Silverburg near Lexington, Kentucky. On January 9, 2014, Silverburg instructed Wilson to travel to Huntington from Lexington to Newman’s residence. Prior to that drive, Silverburg placed a brown paper bag in the trunk of the car Wilson was driving. Once Wilson arrived at Newman’s residence, Newman took two plastic bags full of cocaine out of the brown paper bag. In a statement given to agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Wilson estimated the total weight of the cocaine to be between six and nine ounces.
Silverburg, Kenneth and George Newman, and seven other defendants have pled guilty to various charges stemming from the yearlong investigation by agents the DEA, Huntington Police Department, ATF, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team. The investigation revealed that in addition to cocaine and heroin, members of the Newman drug trafficking conspiracy were responsible for distributing oxycodone, crack cocaine, morphine, MDMA, known on the street as “Molly” or “Ecstasy,” and marijuana.
The case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Kanawha County man pleads guilty to federal firearm offenseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that a Kanawha County man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Travis Lee Hudnall, 30, of Hansford, West Virginia entered a guilty plea to possessing a Remington 12 gauge shotgun that he pawned in Charleston on March 13, 2014. Hudnall had previously been convicted in 2008 in Kanawha County of daytime entering without breaking, a felony offense that made it illegal for Hudnall to possess a firearm.
Hudnall faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 17, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Detroit man pleads guilty to federal heroin traffickingRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man who assisted in the sale of heroin in Huntington in 2013 and 2014 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Ramone L. Wells, 20, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Huntington to conspiracy to distribute heroin.
From February of 2013 to December 8, 2014, Wells worked with multiple associates to distribute heroin in Huntington that had been transported from Detroit. Wells supervised street level heroin dealers in Huntington and collected cash proceeds from the heroin sales. Wells also sold heroin directly. Wells and his associates used multiple Huntington residences to store, prepare and distribute heroin, including a home at 403 Homestead Place.
On December 6, 2014, a United States Postal Inspector intercepted a package mailed to the Homestead Place address that contained approximately 230 grams of heroin. Agents delivered the package that day and after it was accepted, executed a search warrant at the residence. During the search, agents seized heroin, paraphernalia used to package and distribute heroin, cash, and four guns.
Wells faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21, 2015.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force, United States Postal Service, West Virginia State Police and Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Three drug defendants appear in federal court in BeckleyRead the Press Release
Beckley, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that three drug dealers made appearance in federal court in Beckley today. Evelyn Ann Sizemore, 32, of Lewisburg, pled guilty to using a communication facility to facilitate a felony, admitting that on December 9, 2014, she used a telephone around Lewisburg to send a text message to arrange a drug deal. Shortly after the text message was sent, Sizemore sold heroin to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. Sizemore faces up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced on October 8, 2015.
Two additional drug defendants from Huntington, West Virginia were also sentenced today in Beckley federal court. Randolph Ingram, 55, was sentenced to four years in prison for using a communication facility to facilitate a felony, and Rachel Jade Corrigan, 26, was sentenced to three years of probation for aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin. Ingram and Corrigan pled guilty in February of 2015. Ingram admitted using a telephone to help arrange the sale of heroin in Lewisburg, and Corrigan admitted that after the Ingram sold the heroin, she concealed the money in her underwear to take it to Huntington.
The cases were investigated by the Greenbrier Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force under the Greenbrier Valley Heroin and Pill Inititative, a part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the sale of heroin and the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin in communities across the Southern District. Assistant United States Attorney John File prosecuted these cases.
Man who threatened Senator Manchin sentenced to 18 months in federal prisonRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Steven Anthony Major, 50, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for threatening to murder United States Senator Joseph Manchin, III, and his family members.
On February 24, 2015, Major pleaded guilty to threatening to murder Senator Manchin. Major admitted that he called Senator Manchin’s Charleston and Washington, D.C. offices on four separate occasions from March 17 through 20, 2014. On each of those occasions, Major left a voice message making violent threats against the Senator and his family members.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Capitol Police, and West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn handled the prosecution.
Charleston man pleads guilty to carrying a firearm during a drug offenseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that a Charleston, West Virginia man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. James Philip Daugherty, 20, entered a guilty plea to carrying a loaded Ruger semi-automatic pistol on January 9, 2015, while he possessed crack cocaine that he intended to distribute in and around Charleston, West Virginia.
Daugherty faces at least 5 years and up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 23, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Beckley woman pleads guilty to passing counterfeit moneyRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, WV – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Kenyata E. Smith, 34, of Beckley, West Virginia pleaded guilty in federal court in Beckley to passing counterfeit money. Smith admitted that on April 6, 2014, she passed $100 in counterfeit money at the Dairy Queen in Beaver, West Virginia.
Smith, who is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21, 2015, faces up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine.
This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Bacaj is handling the prosecution.
Beckley area woman sentenced for federal drug chargeRead the Press Release
KLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that a Sophia woman was sentenced in federal court in Beckley for a federal drug offense. Andrea Austin, age 43, of Sophia, West Virginia was sentenced to five years of probation plus 100 hours of community service. Austin previously pled guilty in February of 2015, to distributing heroin to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on East Camilia Street in Sophia.
This case was investigated by the Beckley Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and is being prosecuted under the Beckley Pill Initiative directed by the United States Attorney’s Office.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The United States Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Beckley area man pleads guilty to distributing oxymorphoneRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Christopher Lee Saunders, 42, of Beckley, West Virginia, plead guilty in federal court in Beckley to distributing oxymorphone. Saunders admitted that on January 22, 2015, he sold oxymorphone to a confidential informant working with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on the WalMart parking lot located at Robert C. Byrd Drive in MacArthur, West Virginia.
Saunders faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger scheduled the sentencing for October 8, 2015.
The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit conducted the investigation.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The United States Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Huntington man sentenced for federal heroin crimeRead the Press Release
Huntington, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Steven Dale McCallister, age 41, of Huntington, West Virginia was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Huntington to 44 months in federal prison. McCallister previously pled guilty in March of 2015, admitting that in November of 2014 he possessed heroin that he had intended to sell from his Barboursville residence. The heroin was discovered when agents of the Huntington Violent Crime Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at McCallister’s home.
At the time McCallister was found with the heroin, he was on supervised release for a federal gun charge. McCallister, who admitted to the court that his possession of heroin violated the terms of his supervised release, was sentenced to an additional period of incarceration of 24 months to be served after the 44 months sentence on the heroin charge.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of heroin and prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal heroin and pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announces charge against Bank of MingoRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today the filing of an information against the Bank of Mingo. The bank is charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act from January 2009 through April 2012 by failing to develop, implement, and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. The Bank Secrecy Act requires financial institutions like Bank of Mingo to develop and maintain programs for the detection and reporting of suspicious activity that might be a warning sign of money laundering. In this case, Bank of Mingo was charged with failing to implement internal controls that would have resulted in the bank obtaining “know-your-customer” information, failing to prevent customers from structuring cash transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements, and failing to file “suspicious activity reports” about certain dubious conduct, such as the structuring of cash transactions.
The United States Attorney also filed a motion with the District Court requesting that all proceedings in the case, including trial, be deferred for a period of twelve months from the filing of the information. As stated in the motion, the United States Attorney and Bank of Mingo have signed an agreement, which includes a “Stipulation of Facts” wherein the bank admits the conduct with which it is charged. The deferment will allow the bank to demonstrate its acceptance of responsibility and to take remedial measures to correct its past, wrongful conduct. The bank agrees to cooperate with the United States and to forfeit $2.2 million, representing an amount that was involved in illegally-structured currency transactions.
In the Stipulation of Facts, the bank acknowledged that it failed to detect and report unusual and large cash transactions by employees and agents of Aracoma Contracting, LLC., which was in the business of providing contract labor to coal mining and coal-mining related operations in southern West Virginia. In a related criminal case against Aracoma Contracting, the company admitted, as part of a plea agreement, that it routinely paid wages to certain employees in cash, and withheld no money from those wages, all for the purpose of evading employment taxes. To generate sufficient cash to make the cash payroll in a manner that would not cause the bank to generate currency transaction reports, Aracoma Contracting’s principals, Jerome Russell and Frelin Workman, arranged for cash to be withdrawn from Bank of Mingo’s Williamson branch in amounts of less than $10,000. In this way, Aracoma Contracting structured at least $2.2 million out of Bank of Mingo from January 2009 through April 2012. As a result, Aracoma Contracting pled guilty to conspiring to structure currency transactions.
Bank of Mingo has admitted that its Williamson branch manager instructed Russell and Workman to get the cash for Aracoma Contracting’s cash payroll by requesting advances from a line of credit and by identifying a specific employee who would be picking up the cash. The branch manager or his assistant approved these requests, and Bank of Mingo would subsequently prepare a cashier’s check in the name of the identified employee, who would simply endorse the check in return for cash. The amounts typically were less than $10,000. In this fashion, Aracoma Contracting made multiple cash withdrawals on the same day. Furthermore, because the cash withdrawals were entered in records in the names of the employees and not Aracoma Contracting, there was nothing to indicate that more than $10,000 had been drawn from the line of credit on the same banking day. Consequently, Bank of Mingo did not file currency transaction reports and suspicious activity reports when it otherwise should have done so.
United States Attorney R. Booth Goodwin II emphasized the importance of compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and why financial institutions must have effective anti-money laundering programs. “These are not just simply technical violations. Illegal structuring enables and helps to conceal larger criminal schemes. Had Bank of Mingo maintained an effective anti-money laundering program, other criminal activity might have been nipped in the bud,” United States Attorney Goodwin said.
The investigation of the case against Bank of Mingo was conducted by special agents and law enforcement officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General, and the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Philip H. Wright and former AUSA Thomas C. Ryan handled the prosecution of Bank of Mingo.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the Department of Treasury, conducted parallel civil investigations of Bank of Mingo. FDIC and FinCEN have assessed civil money penalties against the bank.
Man sentenced for extortion scheme at arch mineRead the Press Release
MAN SENTENCED FOR EXTORTION SCHEME AT ARCH MINE
Charleston, W.Va. -- Former Mountain Laurel Mining Complex General Manager David E. Runyon, 45, of Delbarton, Mingo County, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine for extortion and tax evasion, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin.
Runyon admitted that as general manager of the mining complex, he participated in and benefitted from a number of extortion schemes where he and other Arch Coal employees were paid cash kickbacks from complicit Mountain Laurel vendors in exchange for the vendors’ continued business at Mountain Laurel. The cash kickbacks to Arch Coal employees totaled more than 1.8 million dollars between 2006 through 2013. These kickbacks included:
- The Rebuild Kickback Scheme, where Runyon and others received kickbacks from companies engaged in rebuilding mine equipment at Mountain Laurel. These companies included Tri-State Mine Service, Inc., owned by Scott Ellis and later joined by Stephen Herndon after he left employment at Arch Coal, Carter Sales and Service and Apex Mining Construction and Repair, Inc, owned by Donald Carter. Ellis, Carter, and later Herndon understood that they would no longer be vendors for Mountain Laurel if they stopped paying kickbacks.
- The Miner/Bolter Repair Kickback Scheme, where Runyon and others received kickbacks from Ronald Barnette, who owned Mining Repair Specialist, Inc. (“MRS”). MRS performed rebuild and repair work on mining equipment at Mountain Laurel. Barnette understood if he did not pay the kickbacks, MRS would no longer get rebuild work at Mountain Laurel.
- The Construction Work Kickback Scheme, where Runyon received kickbacks from Alvis Porter, who operated Quality Oil, Inc. d/b/a Southern Construction of Logan. Porter’s company performed a variety of construction services at Mountain Laurel, and Porter paid the kickbacks to keep the Mountain Laurel work.
- The Contract Labor Kickback Scheme, where Runyon received kickbacks from David Herndon. David Herndon owned and operated MAC Mine Service, Inc., which provided contract labor at Mountain Laurel. David Herndon paid the kickbacks because he believed that he would lose the business at Mountain Laurel if the kickbacks were not paid.
Runyon admitted that he received approximately $1 million through these kickback schemes. He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1 million to Arch Coal and $325,485 to the Internal Revenue Service.
“The payment of kickbacks is nothing more than negotiated bribery. Kickbacks undermine fair and legitimate business practices, eliminate competition and inevitably impact costs passed along to consumers. These are not victimless crimes, because in the end we all lose when the free market is compromised by such corruption,” said United States Attorney Booth Goodwin.
Today’s charge stems from an investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas is in charge of the prosecution.
Charleston man pleads guilty to unlawfully possessing a stolen firemanRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that a man from Kanawha County pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to unlawfully possessing a stolen firearm. Joshua Devere, 33, of Charleston entered a guilty plea to possession of a stolen firearm. On September 27, 2013, Devere stole a Remington 12-guage shotgun from the Trading Post sporting goods store in Marmet, Kanawha County, West Virginia.
Devere faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 9, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marmet Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Logan man admits to lying in attempt to retrieve pawned gunsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that a Logan County man pleaded guilty to making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of firearms. Brian Keith Conley, 42, of Logan, admitted that he lied when attempting to retrieve three firearms he pawned at a local pawn shop.
Conley admitted that on October 29, 2014, in connection with attempting to retrieve the firearms, he completed a required federal form on which he claimed he had never been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. In fact, Conley knew he had previously been convicted in Logan County Magistrate Court of the misdemeanor crime of domestic battery. Conley was unable to retrieve the guns from the pawn shop, and law enforcement was alerted to Conley’s possession and subsequent attempt to retrieve the firearms.
Conley faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment when he is sentenced on September 1, 2015. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. is presiding over the case.
The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney C. Haley Bunn handled the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by working with existing local programs that target gun crime.
Woman sentenced to federal prison for defrauding Hurricane businessRead the Press Release
Huntington, W. Va. - Sandra Ball, 58, of Hurricane, West Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to three years in federal prison for defrauding her employer of nearly $450,000, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.
From 2008 through 2013, while working as an auditor for Mountaineer 4x4, Ball made hundreds of Internet transactions in which she used her employer’s checking account to pay for personal items and expenses. She pleaded guilty to two felony counts of wire fraud in March 2015.
In addition to prison time, Ball was ordered to repay more than $445,000 to Mountaineer 4x4, a Hurricane business that deals in accessories for trucks and SUVs.
The case was prosecuted as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s effort to combat employee theft from West Virginia businesses. The Hurricane Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution.
Ohio woman sentenced for defrauding Huntington medical providerRead the Press Release
Huntington, W. Va. - Teresa Lewis, 60, of South Point, Ohio, was sentenced yesterday to a year and a day in federal prison for defrauding the Huntington Retina Center, where she worked, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.
From 2012 to 2014, Lewis, working as a billing assistant at the Huntington Retina Center, used her position to gain access to credit cards in the name of the Center and one of its doctors. Lewis used the cards to make more than $52,000 in unauthorized personal purchases. She pleaded guilty in March 2015 to two felony counts of access device fraud.
The Huntington Retina Center provides medical care for vision disorders, eye injuries, and eye diseases. As part of her sentence, Lewis must repay $52,317 to the Center.
The case was prosecuted as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s effort to combat employee theft from West Virginia small businesses. The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution.
Hurricane man pleads guilty in federal court to obstruction of justiceRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man who sold heroin to a confidential informant on multiple occasions in 2014 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Tayvon Mykal Gaulds, 21, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Huntington admitting that he distributed heroin.
On November 12, 2014, Gaulds arranged to sell heroin to a confidential informant working at the direction of the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force. Gaulds met the informant in the 1800 block of 9 1/2 alley in Huntington and sold the informant approximately 5 grams of heroin in exchange for $650. Gaulds also distributed heroin to the informant on two other occasions in Huntington.
Gaulds faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2015.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Huntington man pleads guilty to distributing heroinRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man who sold heroin to a confidential informant on multiple occasions in 2014 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Tayvon Mykal Gaulds, 21, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Huntington admitting that he distributed heroin.
On November 12, 2014, Gaulds arranged to sell heroin to a confidential informant working at the direction of the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force. Gaulds met the informant in the 1800 block of 9 1/2 alley in Huntington and sold the informant approximately 5 grams of heroin in exchange for $650. Gaulds also distributed heroin to the informant on two other occasions in Huntington.
Gaulds faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2015.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Detroit men sentenced for roles in heroin conspiracyRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two Michigan men who were part of a conspiracy that funneled large quantities of heroin from Detroit to Huntington between 2012 and 2014 were sentenced to federal prison today, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Robert Lamar Payne, 31, of Detroit, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and Derrick Wayne Goodwin, 25, also of Detroit, was sentenced to 74 months in federal prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty in federal court in Huntington in February of 2015 to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
Payne admitted that from 2012 to 2014, he conspired with others to distribute heroin from Detroit in the Huntington area. Members of the conspiracy used multiple Huntington residences to store, prepare and distribute the drugs.
Payne and Goodwin also used an apartment at 1002 12th Avenue in Huntington as a base for distribution. In February of 2014, a confidential informant made multiple purchases of heroin from Payne from that apartment. On February 13, 2014, agents executed a search warrant at the apartment and seized approximately 41 grams of heroin and two firearms. That same day, agents searched a room at the Super 8 Motel on 16th Street Road in Huntington where they found Payne and Goodwin with approximately 200 grams of heroin.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation with assistance from the Huntington Police Department Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Parkersburg man sentenced to federal prison for illegal firearm possessionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man who was shot during his arrest in July of 2014 was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Paul Christopher Johnson, 43, of Parkersburg, West Virginia previously pleaded guilty in February of 2015 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On July 15, 2014, officers of the Parkersburg Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force attempted to serve Johnson with an arrest warrant as he was in a parked vehicle on Bird Street in Parkersburg. Johnson got out of his vehicle, pointed a loaded Taurus .45 caliber pistol at police and told them he was “not going back [to prison].” As officers attempted to convince Johnson to put down the weapon and surrender, he got back into the vehicle and drove away. Police caught up with him and stopped him at the corner of Plum Street and Washington Avenue. Johnson again got out of the vehicle and pointed his pistol at the responding officers. Johnson refused to obey commands to drop the weapon and moved toward the officers while waving the gun. Officers fired and wounded Johnson. According to his criminal record, Johnson had been previously convicted of the felony offenses of aggravated robbery and third offense shoplifting. On July 15, 2014, police were attempting to arrest Johnson for a drug trafficking offense.
Because the Parkersburg Police Department and the Wood County Sheriff’s Department were involved in the arrest, this investigation was conducted by the West Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Logan man pleads guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of firearmsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Gary Brian Adams, 35, of Logan, West Virginia pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to being a convicted felon in possession of three firearms. In May of 2013, officers with the West Virginia State Police and the Logan County Sheriff’s Department responded to a home near Chapmanville and recovered three firearms that Adams had stored in the home. Adams has two prior felony drug trafficking convictions from Logan County, so he is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms. Adams faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment when he is sentenced on August 27, 2015.
This case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
Cross Lanes man admits to selling high grade methamphetamineRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that David Matthew Little, age 37, of Cross Lanes, West Virginia pled guilty in federal court in Charleston to conspiring with other people to distribute more than 5 grams of pure crystal methamphetamine. Little admitted that from early 2014 until December of that same year, he conspired with his wife, Cheri Little, to distribute methamphetamine at his home and other places in Cross Lanes. Little admitted that he obtained ounce quantities of methamphetamine from an unnamed source, paying $1375.00 per ounce, and then resold part of the meth for a profit. Because of the purity of the drug distributed by Little, he faces from a mandatory minimum of five years up to 40 years imprisonment and a $5,000,000.00 fine when he is sentenced on August 19, 2015.
The case was investigated by members of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Frail.
Logan County man pleads guilty to mailing threatening lettersRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Kelly Gerald Crosby, 32, from Logan County, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston to mailing threatening communications. On September 8, 2014, Crosby was incarcerated at the Southwestern Regional Jail on a state charge related to using minors to film sexually explicit conduct. While incarcerated, Crosby mailed a letter delivered to the Logan County Courthouse, in which Crosby made threats to workers, public officials and others in the Logan County area. The letter included threats to “kill, rape and make suffer” the individuals he identified in the letter.
Crosby faces up to 5 years in federal prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2015.
United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the plea hearing.
The investigation is being conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and Logan County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is handling the prosecution.
Huntington woman pleads guilty to federal heroin chargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A woman who distributed heroin from her Huntington apartment pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Patricia Lynn Petrie, 51, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Huntington to maintaining a residence for the purpose of distributing heroin.
In August of 2012, agents with the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force observed Petrie on multiple occasions engaging in what appeared to be drug deals near her apartment at 1112 9th Street, Apartment 4 in Huntington. Agents stopped Petrie outside her apartment on August 23, 2012 and recovered a small quantity of heroin. Agents subsequently searched her apartment and recovered 33 individually wrapped bags of heroin. Petrie admitted as part of her plea that she intended to distribute the heroin seized by the task force agents.
Petrie faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17, 2015.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force and Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Detroit man sentenced for heroin possessionRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Steven Adams, age 47, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Thomas E. Johnston to five months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release with the first five months of supervised release to be on home confinement. Adams previously pled guilty in February of 2015, admitting that heroin found in his possession at the Greyhound Bus Station in Charleston, West Virginia on June 16, 2014, was his and that he intended to transport it from Charleston to Detroit for distribution. Members of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), conducting surveillance at the bus station on that date, discovered the heroin during a conversation with Adams.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of heroin and prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal heroin and pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Cabell County man pleads guilty to failing to register as a sex offenderRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A 60-year old Cabell County man faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty today to failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Ronnie Alvin Howard, of Huntington, West Virginia, entered a guilty plea before Chief District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers.
Howard was convicted in 2007 in Michigan of two counts of Assault with Intent to Commit Second Degree Sexual Assault involving minor victims. These convictions require Howard to register as a sex offender. Howard was also convicted of Second Degree Sexual Assault in 1980 in Michigan. In August of 2012, Howard moved to Huntington, West Virginia, and did not register as a sex offender despite knowing it was required by law. He continued to reside and work in Huntington without registering until his arrest on February 18, 2015.
The court scheduled sentencing for Howard for August 17, 2015, in Huntington, West Virginia.
The United States Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being brought as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.
Two Mercer County women sentenced for federal drug crimesRead the Press Release
Bluefield, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber sentenced two Mercer County women in federal court in Bluefield on drug offenses. Regina Conley, 33, of Princeton, was sentenced to18 months in prison for distribution of a quantity of oxycodone. Conley pled guilty in January of 2015, admitting that on August 27, 2014, she distributed six oxycodone pills to a confidential informant in Princeton. She admitted that she had distributed a total of 55 oxycodone pills over a period of time.
Julie Walters, 36, of Bluefield, was given probation for distribution of hydromorphone. She also pled guilty in January of 2015, admitting that on May 29, 2014, she distributed one hydromorphone pill to a confidential informant in Brushfork, West Virginia. Walters admitted that she distributed a total of 13 hydromorphone pills over a period of time.
These cases were investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force under the Bluefield Pill Initiative, part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John File.