Southern District of West Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Huntington Heroin Dealer Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Anthony Quinlin Cooper, also known as “Ant,” 38, of Huntington, West Virginia pled guilty today in federal court to distribution of heroin. On November 15, 2013, Cooper was caught selling heroin to a confidential informant working with the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force. The sale took place at Cooper’s home in the Highlawn area of Huntington. Audio and video recordings were made of the drug deal. Following a search of his residence, Cooper admitted to additional heroin sales. Cooper faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on February 17, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force. 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.
Beckley Heroin Dealer Sentenced in Federal Court in BeckleyRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that a Beckley man was sentenced in federal court for selling heroin. Jason Kaylor, 31, was sentenced to eight months in prison. Kaylor previously pled guilty in July of 2014, to selling heroin to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Cunningham Avenue in Stanaford, West Virginia.
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.
Defendant was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Irene C. Berger.
Logan County Assessor Charged with Federal Banking Law ViolationRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin filed an information in federal court in Charleston today against Russell R. Grimmett, also known as Rick Grimmett, for violating federal banking laws. Banks are required by federal law to report all cash transactions in excess of $10,000. Grimmett and an associate withdrew cash from the Logan Bank and Trust in Man, West Virginia in amounts less than $10,000 to prevent triggering the reporting requirement. This practice, known as “structuring,” is a federal crime. Grimmett, the Logan County Assessor, faces up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
Today’s charge stems from an investigation 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 handling the prosecution.
NOTE: An information is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless convicted.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Charleston Man for Murder of InformantRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that a 38-year-old man was indicted today by a federal grand jury sitting in Charleston for offenses related to the murder of a prosecution witness. According to the seven-count indictment, Marlon Dewayne Dixon, of Charleston, W.Va. distributed heroin on three occasions in May of 2014. On July 12, 2014, Dixon shot and killed Branda Mae Delight Basham, 21, in retaliation for her cooperation with law enforcement in that investigation and to prevent her from testifying or continuing to provide information against him. Dixon has multiple felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. The indictment alleges that Dixon was convicted in federal court of cocaine base and cocaine distribution in 1999 and 2006 as well as convicted in Kanawha County Circuit Court of malicious wounding in 2007.
Dixon faces up to life in federal prison or the death penalty, if convicted.
The investigation was conducted by the Charleston Police Department, the Metro Drug Unit (MDENT), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution.
Click here to see a copy of the indictment. An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless he is convicted.
Parkersburg Woman Who Aided Heroin and Cocaine Dealer Enters Federal Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg woman who disposed of heroin and cocaine at the direction of a drug dealer in October 2013 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Gerri Raye Parker, 30, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston to using a communication facility to facilitate heroin and cocaine trafficking.
On October 24, 2013, Parker received a call on her cell phone from a person she knew was a heroin and cocaine dealer. The drug dealer told her that the police were coming to search her apartment and that she needed to get rid of a bag that contained drugs and drug paraphernalia that he had hidden in the apartment. Parker put the bag in an outside trash can of a nearby vacant apartment so the drug dealer could pick it up. Police officers conducting surveillance on Parker’s residence watched her dispose of the bag and seized it before the drug dealer could retrieve it. The bag contained heroin, cocaine, and other drug paraphernalia.
Parker faces up to 4 years in federal prison when she is sentenced on February 2, 2015.
This case arose from the investigation of a heroin trafficking ring from Marion, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. Other individuals prosecuted and convicted in federal court as a part of this investigation include Mario Felder, Keith Irons, Cordaro Johnson, Zena Wakefield, and Daquarri Coates.
The Parkersburg Police Department along with the Parkersburg Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought 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 pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiates and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Mercer County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Bluefield, W.Va. - A 19-year-old Mercer County man faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty today to possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Joshua Dwayne Poff, of Bluefield, West Virginia, entered a guilty plea before Senior United States District Court Judge David A. Faber.
Poff admitted that on January 10, 2014, he possessed pictures of prepubescent minors engaged in sexual acts. The images were located on his personal computer at his home. Poff also admitted to trading video files containing child pornography via the Internet to another person who had a Google email account. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said, “We are committed to the fight against criminals like Joshua Dwayne Poff who contribute to the exploitation and abuse of children. We will use every available tool to track them down and prosecute them to the fullest extent allowed by law.”
The court scheduled sentencing for Poff for 11:30 a.m. on March 15, 2015, in Bluefield, West Virginia.
The West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation. 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.
Florida Couple Plead Guilty to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Husband also pleads guilty in money laundering conspiracy
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Lester Taylor, 45, and Ali Weinberg, 32, both of Daytona Beach, Florida, entered guilty pleas today in federal court in Charleston to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. Taylor also pleaded guilty to his role in a money laundering conspiracy.
Beginning in January 2010 and continuing until May 2014, Taylor acquired oxycodone pills in Florida and had them transported to Lincoln County, West Virginia, for distribution. Taylor shipped the pills via a common carrier, made personal trips from Florida to West Virginia, and used associates to carry the drugs from Florida to West Virginia. Taylor supplied pills to his associates for distribution, and once the pills were sold, the associates deposited the drug proceeds in Taylor’s bank accounts in Barboursville and Huntington. From January 2010 through May 2014, more than $700,000 in drug proceeds were deposited into Taylor’s bank accounts. Taylor retrieved the cash from Florida through ATM withdrawals, counter withdrawals or cashed checks made payable to him or his associates.
Ali Weinberg, Taylor’s fiancée, admitted that from approximately February 2013 through May 2014, she and Taylor obtained monthly prescriptions for oxycodone and hydromophone from doctors in Florida. They took the Florida prescriptions to A+ Pharmacy in Barboursville to be filled. The pills from these prescriptions were later distributed in Lincoln County. Weinberg admitted that from February 2013 through May 2014, she and Taylor obtained approximately 4,772 oxycodone 30 mg pills, approximately 630 hydromorphone 4 mg pills, and approximately 1,080 hydromorphone 8 mg pills through this scheme.
Taylor and Weinberg are scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2015, by United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought 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 pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiates and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Federal Inmate Sentenced for Possessing A KnifeRead the Press Release
Bluefield, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber sentenced a federal inmate for possessing a weapon in the Federal Correctional Institution at McDowell. Antonio Uribe Quintero, 36, was sentenced to 30 additional months in prison. Quintero pled guilty on June 23, 2014, admitting that on March 7, 2014, he possessed a hand-crafted knife in the prison. The sentence will run consecutively to the ten-year sentence Quintero is serving for illegally reentering the United States after having been deported and for violating the terms of his supervised release in a prior case. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney John File.
Detroit Man Sentenced to More Than Three Years for Role in Huntington Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man was sentenced today for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Huntington, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Jakaiser Wesley Jackson, 21, who previously pleaded guilty in July of 2014 to conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison. United States Chief District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed today’s sentence.
From January 2014 to April 2, 2014, Jackson conspired to distribute heroin with others, including Christopher Lamarr-Shawn Harris. Harris recruited Jackson and other co-conspirators to distribute heroin, mostly in the West Huntington area, and frequently arranged for the transportation of heroin from Detroit, Michigan, to Huntington. Harris and Jackson used multiple locations to store, prepare and distribute heroin, including the Red Roof Inn Hotel on Route 60 in Huntington and multiple residences in West Huntington. Harris and Jackson also recruited local residents in West Huntington to assist in heroin distributions.
Harris was arrested on December 31, 2013, when officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant at an apartment at 1416 Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington. Officers seized more than 400 grams of heroin and $12,349 in cash during the search. Officers also arrested Harris, Denzell Lamar Bunkley, and Steven Edward Lewis, who were inside the apartment.
Harris was arrested again on February 20, 2014, in Ohio by the Ohio State Highway Patrol while traveling from Huntington to Detroit. During his arrest, officers seized another $24,930 from Harris.
Harris was arrested for a third time on April 2, 2014, after officers received information that he was selling heroin from the Red Roof Inn in Huntington. Officers executed a search warrant for two rooms at the hotel and seized approximately 192 grams of heroin and $3,000 in cash. Harris and Jackson had arranged to bring the heroin from Detroit to Huntington just days prior to the search. Jackson was also involved, along with Harris, in transporting heroin from Detroit on other occasions during the conspiracy.Jackson was the fifth defendant to be sentenced in connection with this heroin conspiracy. Brandon S. Keaton was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment in July 2014. Harris was sentenced to 147 months’ imprisonment and Bunkley was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment, both on October 6, 2014. Lewis was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment on October 13, 2014.
The Huntington Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service all participated in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.
This case was brought 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 pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiates and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Four Sentenced on Heroin Charges in Federal Court in BeckleyRead the Press Release
Beckley, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that four defendants were sentenced in federal court in Beckley on heroin charges. Douglas Edward Morris, 43, of Beckley, was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Tommy Ray Prater II, 34, of Shady Spring, West Virginia was sentenced to five years in prison. The two had pled guilty to traveling in interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity, admitting that in April of 2013 they traveled to Camden, New Jersey, to obtain heroin that they later sold in the Shady Spring area. During about 10 weeks in 2013, Morris and Prater obtained about thousands of heroin stamps in New Jersey. Morris also pled guilty to a felony possession of heroin charge related to the heroin obtained in New Jersey. Morris and Prater were investigated by the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Christopher Miller, 32, of Alderson, was sentenced to ten months in prison for distribution of heroin. He pled guilty on June 25, 2014, and admitted that on August 14, 2013, he sold heroin to a confidential informant in Alderson, West Virginia. He further admitted that he sold a total of about 2.8 grams of heroin in the several transactions. Tiffany Rose Arbogast, 24, of Buckeye, was sentenced to six months in prison for distribution of heroin. She pled guilty on July 9, 2014, admitting that on December 15, 2013, she sold heroin to a confidential informant in Lewisburg. She also admitted that she was involved in distributing a total of between five and ten grams of heroin. Miller and Arbogast were investigated by the Greenbrier Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force as part of the Greenbrier Heroin and Pill Initiative.
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. Assistant United States Attorney John File handled the prosecution of these cases.
Charleston Heroin Dealer Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Ricky Williams, 23, of Charleston, was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston, to four months in federal prison. Williams plead guilty on August 4, 2014, to the distribution of heroin.
Williams admitted that on September 17, 2013, he sold heroin to a confidential informant working with the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) for $100.00. Williams also admitted that he sold heroin to the same informant on September 25, 2013, and on October 28, 2013.
This case was investigated by the MDENT. 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.
Two Members of Newman Drug Gang Plead Guilty to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Seven Gang Members, Including Kenneth Newman, Have Already Entered Guilty Pleas
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that two defendants pled guilty today in federal court in Huntington to charges stemming from their roles in the Kenneth Newman drug conspiracy. Marshall Lee Graves II, also known as “Bro Marsh,” age 30, of Huntington, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On January 20, 2014, a search was conducted at Graves’ Collis Avenue residence during which agents found 53.9 grams of cocaine powder, 34.5 grams of cocaine base, also known as “crack,” a loaded SKS rifle and $1,100 in cash.
Curtis Rollins, age 34, of Huntington also pled guilty to using a cell phone to facilitate drug trafficking. On December 31, 2013, Rollins made a phone call to Kenneth Newman to arrange the purchase of cocaine. During the call, Rollins told Newman that he had two people who needed something and they were “about to come through.” This call was part of a series of calls on the afternoon and early evening of the same day in which Rollins requested “2 extra things,” specifically powder cocaine, at least part of which he intended to provide to others.Graves faces a sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine. Rollins both face a sentence of up to 4 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Both will be sentenced by Chief Judge Robert C. Chambers on February 9, 2015.
Six additional defendants previously pled guilty to charges stemming from their involvement with Kenneth Newman, including Tonda Click, Brandon Appleton, Ariell Varney, Kamel Burris, William Petties, and George Newman, Kenneth Newman’s brother. Burris and Petties have both been sentenced to 60 and 46 months imprisonment, respectively. The remaining four await sentencing. Kenneth Newman also entered into a plea agreement and pled guilty possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances. Newman’s plea agreement was set aside because he failed to cooperate as required by the agreement. Because the plea agreement was set aside, Newman still faces twenty additional drug and gun charges.
Marcus Graves, the brother of Marshall Graves is scheduled to plead guilty tomorrow in federal court in Huntington.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Huntington Police Department, Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, Law Enforcement and Treatment Professionals Announce New Initiative to Help Heroin AddictsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, Prestera Center for Mental Health Services CEO Karen Yost, Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster, Kanawha County Sheriff John Rutherford, and other law enforcement representatives today announced a unique intervention program through which certain heroin addicts are being referred to treatment. The collaborative initiative is part of ongoing efforts in the Kanawha Valley to address the opiate abuse epidemic. The Kanawha County Commission provided funding earlier this year for an anti-heroin initiative known as HEAT: Heroin Eradication Associated Task Force. As a result, a roundup was conducted by area law enforcement agencies on October 16th, netting approximately 34 arrests. During the law enforcement operation, law enforcement officers referred three low-level, nonviolent offenders to treatment services instead of sending them to jail. Treatment services will be provided by Prestera. If one of these individuals deviates from the caseworker’s plan or treatment program, criminal charges will be filed and the individual would then be subject to the normal judicial process.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said, “While we in law enforcement will continue to aggressively arrest and prosecute heroin dealers and traffickers, we also know that we cannot arrest our way out of this epidemic. Opiate addiction is powerful – addicts will continue to use until they get treatment. This is not being soft on crime but rather being smart on crime.”
Karen Yost, CEO of Prestera, said, “We are excited to be a partner with law enforcement in this innovative initiative to combat drug addiction.”
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, Law Enforcment Officials and Treatment Professionals to Announce Law Enforcement Treatment Referral Initiative Arising Out of Recent RoundupRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. –U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and various state and local law enforcement officials will discuss recent efforts by law enforcement to refer addicts to treatment at a press conference on Tuesday, October 21, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. at Prestera, PARC East, 1143 Dunbar Avenue in Dunbar, West Virginia.
WHO:
United States Attorney Booth Goodwin
Charles Miller, Chief of Staff, Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office
Chief Brent Webster, Charleston Police Department
Sheriff John Rutherford, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department
Eric Johnson, Commander, Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT)
Deputy Director Kenny Burner, Appalachia HIDTA
Dana Petroff, Director of Addiction Services, Prestera
Kate Luikart, Regional Director, Prestera
Deputy Secretary James Rubenstein, West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety and
Commissioner, West Virginia Division of Corrections
WHERE: Prestera – PARC East
1143 Dunbar Avenue
Dunbar, WV
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.Huntington Traffic Stop Exposes Heroin DealerRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Dwight McVernon Green, 24, of Huntington, West Virginia pled guilty today in federal court in Huntington to possession with intent to distribute heroin. United States District Court Chief Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the plea hearing.
In the early morning of July 10, 2014, Huntington Police stopped a 2013 black Chevrolet Malibu for speeding in the 400 block of 26th Street. Green, the driver of the speeding car, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers found a loaded 9 mm automatic pistol with a round in the chamber, a bag containing $59,950 in cash, a box of clear plastic baggies, a bag with more than 104 grams of white powder that tested positive for cocaine, and a bag with more than 50 grams of a brown substance that tested positive for heroin. Green faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on February 2, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by Huntington Police Department. 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.
Glasgow Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of A Firearm by A FelonRead the Press Release
Convicted Felon Shot Off-Duty Policer Officer With a Sawed-off Shotgun
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Nickey Don Smith, II, 39, of Glasgow, West Virginia was sentenced today to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release following a 2012 guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In December of 2011, Nickey Don Smith shot Glasgow police officer Steven Smith with a sawed-off shotgun at close range. Officer Smith, unrelated to Nickey Don Smith, and another Glasgow police officer had gone to Nickey Don Smith’s Glass Fire home in response to a 911 call made by Nickey Don Smith. After the officers arrived at the home, they announced “Police Department” twice, while they were making their way up the stairs to the porch. As Officer Smith approached the door, Nickey Don Smith shot him with a sawed off Central Arms 12 gauge shotgun. The shotgun blast struck Officer Smith in the arm, shoulder and the side of his chest, causing serious, permanent and life-threatening injuries and requiring multiple surgeries to repair the damage.
Nickey Don Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2012 on two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty in June of 2012, and has been awaiting the outcome of psychological testing to determine his competency prior to sentencing. The Honorable John T. Copenhaver, Jr., United States District Court Judge, presided over the sentencing hearing today and issued a 16-page memorandum opinion regarding Nickey Don Smith’s competency. After a comprehensive review of the facts of the case and the reports from three psychologists, the Court concluded that Nickey Don Smith’s “mental disease or defect of his condition – properly diagnosed as Personality Disorder NOS with paranoid, narcissistic and anti-social factors – was not so severe as to render him unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his act of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon or his act of maliciously wounding Officer Smith at the time of the commission those acts.”
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin DistributionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Jon Paul Clements, 33, of Charleston, West Virginia, plead guilty in federal court in Charleston to four counts of distributing heroin. Clements admitted that on July 7, 8, and 9, 2014, and August 19, 2014, he sold heroin to a person who was cooperating with the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). The drug deals took place near Ruffner Avenue on Charleston’s East End.
Clements faces up to 30 years in prison and a 6 year term of supervised release when sentenced on January 28, 2015.
MDENT was responsible for the investigation of the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Monica D. Coleman and Eric Bacaj. 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.
Former Williamson Mayor and Bank of Mingo Official Sentenced for Lying to Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.VA. – The former Mayor of Williamson, A. Darrin McCormick, was sentenced to three years of probation and a fine of $5,000 for making a materially false statement to the FBI in February 2013. McCormick lied to federal agents in the course of an investigation of suspicious banking activity by Aracoma Contracting, LLC.
In addition to being the Mayor of Williamson, McCormick was a bank manager for the Bank of Mingo in Williamson. Aracoma, a contract labor company in Williamson, had a line of credit at the Bank of Mingo. Federal agents were investigating a series of suspicious cash withdrawals by two of the principals of Aracoma, Jerome Edward Russell and Frelin R. Workman. Banks are required by federal law to report all cash transactions involving more than $10,000 to the IRS. Russell, Workman and others, regularly withdrew cash from the Bank of Mingo in amounts less than $10,000 to prevent triggering the reporting requirement and evade the payment of payroll taxes. This practice, known as “structuring” is a federal crime.
On February 19, 2013, special agents of the FBI and IRS asked McCormick if he was aware that multiple Aracoma employees had come into the Bank of Mingo at the same time to withdraw cash. McCormick denied knowledge of Aracoma’s structuring practices, though he was well aware of them.
After the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin commented, “Lying to federal investigators is always a serious crime, but when a public official lies in a federal criminal inquiry, it’s especially disappointing. To put it simply, this defendant knew better. He was a high-ranking bank executive and the mayor of Williamson. The bank misconduct that he lied about allowed others to commit crimes including bribery and large-scale fraud. Instead of helping uncover and stop those crimes, he lied to help cover them up.” McCormick pled guilty in May 2014.
The FBI and IRS, assisted by the West Virginia State Police and FDIC, handled the investigation and prosecution of McCormick .
Detroit Heroin Courier Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – Darnez Turner, 26, of Detroit, Michigan was sentenced in federal court in Charleston today to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Turner previously pled guilty in July of this year, admitting that in July of 2011 he transported heroin from Detroit to Charleston by Greyhound Bus. Turner was in route to deliver the heroin when he was stopped by an off-duty Charleston Police Officer working security at the bus station. After the officer discovered heroin in Turner’s backpack, Turner admitted that he had agreed to transport the heroin for cash on delivery.
The case was investigated by the Charleston Police Department and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team. 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 Office of the United States Attorney, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill and heroin trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Ohio Doctor Pleads Guilty to Two Drug-related FeloniesRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. - United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Robert Timothy Hogan II, D.O., pled guilty today to two drug-related felonies. Hogan, 32, from Coolville, Ohio, faces up to nine years imprisonment when he is sentenced on January 12, 2015.
At the plea hearing, Hogan admitted that he travelled between Ohio and Wood County, West Virginia and that he used his cell phone to facilitate an arrangement in which he wrote prescriptions for controlled substances to an individual who was not his patient and for which there was no legitimate medical purpose in return for receiving half of the pills when the prescriptions were filled. Between January 2013 and February 2014, Hogan wrote more than 160 illegal prescriptions for more than 17,000 pills.
The case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 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 and heroin trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Huntington Man Admits Being A Heroin DealerRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Mark R. Tabb, 46, of Huntington, West Virginia pled guilty today in federal court in Huntington to possession with intent to distribute heroin. On August 15, 2012, Tabb was arrested at his 4th Avenue home by officers with the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force. In a search of his home conducted at the time of his arrest, officers located more than ten grams of heroin and $9,500 in cash. Tabb admitted that the heroin was his and he intended to sell it in the Huntington area. Tabb faces up to 20 years imprisonment and up to a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on January 26, 2015.
Detroit Man Sentenced for Role in Huntington Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man was sentenced today for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Huntington, West Virginia announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Steven Edward Lewis, also known as “Rico,” 27, who previously pleaded guilty in July of 2014 to conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, was sentenced to five years in federal prison by Chief Judge Robert C. Chambers.
From at least the summer of 2013 to December 31, 2013, Lewis conspired to distribute heroin with Christopher Lamarr-Shawn Harris, Denzell Lamar Bunkley, Jakaiser Wesley Jackson, and Brandon S. Keaton. Harris recruited Lewis and other co-conspirators to distribute heroin, mostly in the West Huntington area, and frequently arranged for the transportation of heroin from Detroit, Michigan, to Huntington. Lewis used multiple locations to store, prepare and distribute heroin, including the Red Roof Inn Hotel on Route 60 in Huntington and an apartment at 1416 Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington. Lewis, Bunkley, Jackson, and Keaton, Harris also recruited local residents to assist with drug distributions.
On December 31, 2013, officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant at the Jefferson Avenue apartment. Officers seized approximately 413 grams of heroin and $12,349 in cash during the search. Officers also arrested Harris, Bunkley, and Lewis who were inside the apartment.
Harris was arrested again on February 20, 2014, in Ohio by the Ohio State Highway Patrol while travelling from Huntington to Detroit. During his arrest, officers seized another $24,930 from Harris.
Harris was arrested for a third time on April 2, 2014, after officers received information that he was selling heroin from the Red Roof Inn in Huntington. Officers executed a search warrant for two rooms at the hotel and seized approximately 192 grams of heroin and $3,000 in cash. Harris and Jackson, had arranged to bring the heroin from Detroin to Huntington just days prior to the search.
Keaton was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison in July 2014. Harris was sentenced to 147 months and Bunkley was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, both on October 6, 2014. Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2014.
The Huntington Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service all participated in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.
This case was brought 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 pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiates and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Logan Businessman Sentenced for Tax Fraud Arising from Arch Coal KickbacksRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. - A Logan County businessman was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston to probation for three years and a $5,000 fine for filing false tax returns, U. S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced.
Gary Roeher, 52, of Holden, West Virginia, admitted that on his 2010 and 2011 federal tax returns, he illegally claimed business-expense deductions for kickbacks that he paid to an Arch Coal official at the company’s Mountain Laurel Mining Complex in Sharples, West Virginia. Roeher and the Arch Coal official stole money from Arch Coal through a dummy invoice scheme in which Roeher submitted bills for supplies that he had not provided. The Arch Coal official falsely certified that the supplies had been received, which prompted the accounting department for Arch Coal to pay the false bills. Roeher paid the Arch Coal Official kickbacks from the payments received. Roeher then deducted the kickback payments as legitimate business expenses on his 2010 and 2011 tax returns.
Between 2010 and 2011, Roeher paid the Arch Coal official more than $35,000 in kickbacks. Roeher has agreed to forfeit that amount as part of his plea agreement.
Roeher also fraudulently deducted approximately $43,000 used to install a pool at his home, claiming on his tax returns that it was a legitimate business expense.
These charges stem from an investigation 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.
Lab Manager Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Water SamplesRead the Press Release
Beckley, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that John W. Shelton pled guilty today in federal court in Beckley to conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act. Shelton, 47, of Daniels, West Virginia, was employed by Appalachian Laboratories in Daniels as a field technician and manager. Appalachian Laboratories performed water sampling and analysis for coal mining operations to ensure that discharges of pollutants into public waterways were within permitted limits.
Shelton admitted that he and other employees tampered with water samples to make them appear to be within permissible levels. Shelton admitted that they diluted samples by adding distilled water, and substituted water samples from the “honeyhole,” designated as such because the samples were always within permissible limits. Each time samples were diluted or water was substituted, Shelton allowed excessive pollutants to be discharged from mining operations into adjacent creeks and rivers.
Shelton also admitted that from 2008-2013, he and other Appalachian Laboratories employees failed to place samples on ice as required by law, and instead kept them in their trucks all day, compromising the integrity of the samples. To avoid detection by WVDEP, Shelton and other employees placed ice in their coolers on known inspection days to make it appear as though this was their regular practice.
Shelton faces up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced on February 26, 2015.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Blaire L. Malkin and Larry R. Ellis are responsible for the prosecution.
Goodwin Charges Mason County Man with Swindling Elderly CoupleRead the Press Release
Defendant defrauded couple out of $210,000 in bogus investment scheme, charge says
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today charged Mark Anthony, 40, of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, with defrauding a senior-citizen couple in Mason County.
Between May 2004 and January 2013, Anthony solicited approximately $210,000 from his victims, according to today's charge. Anthony falsely represented to the victims that their money would be invested in annuities and money market accounts offered by legitimate financial-services companies and that the investments would yield substantial returns. In reality, Anthony simply spent the victims' money on his own personal expenses and purchases. Anthony's fraud scheme continued after the husband in the victim couple passed away in 2007, leaving the wife widowed.
As part of the scheme, Goodwin says, Anthony used the United States Postal Service to send the victims checks that were purportedly income from investments he made for them, along with IRS forms that pretended to reflect their investment income. The checks were actually from Anthony’s personal funds and were intended to trick the victims into believing that Anthony had placed their money in legitimate investment accounts. The IRS forms were also fraudulent.
“Sadly, elderly West Virginians too often become the targets of financial fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “Preventing that fraud and prosecuting those who perpetrate it have always been top priorities for me, and this case builds on that commitment.”
Today’s charge was filed in a court document known as an “information.”
The investigation is being conducted by the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Counsel to the United States Attorney Steven Ruby and Assistant United States Attorney Gabriele Wohl are handling the prosecution.
Click here to view a copy of the information.
Note: An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Recruiter Sentenced for Stealing from National GuardRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Richard Lilly, 47, of Cross Lanes, West Virginia was sentenced in federal court in Charleston today to five years of probation and ordered to pay $13,500 in restitution for stealing from the West Virginia National Guard, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Lilly had previously plead guilty on May 20, 2014, to theft of government funds.
Lilly, who had served as a recruiter for the Guard since 2006, stole recruiting bonuses intended to reward Guard members for referring others who enlisted. Between June of 2008 and May of 2010, Lilly stole $13,500 dollars in bonus payments intended for others. Lilly is no longer a member of the Guard.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, assisted by investigators with the West Virginia National Guard. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is in charge of the prosecution.
Boone County Man Admits to Falsifying Mine Safety DocumentsRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – A Boone County man who falsified mandatory mine safety reports, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Shawn Glenn Stover, 29, of Whitesville, West Virginia admitted to falsifying a Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) document while working at a Boone County mine.
In April of 2013, Stover was hired to work at Newtown Mining Company’s Peerless Rachel mine located in Boone County. In May and June of 2013, Stover acted as a foreman at the mine, despite not being qualified to do so. Stover signed pre-shift and on-shift reports that indicated he had properly examined particular sections of the mine. Stover was not certified as a foreman when he completed the mine reports. Stover also falsified the reports by using multiple foreman’s numbers that did not belong to him.
Stover faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on December 12, 2014 by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
The investigation was conducted by MSHA. Assistant United States Attorney Blaire L. Malkin is in charge of the prosecution.
Detroit Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Large-scale Heroin Distribution in HuntingtonRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two Detroit man were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Huntington in 2013 and 2014, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Christopher Lamarr-Shawn Harris, also known as “C” and “Caesar,” 28, who previously pleaded guilty in July of 2014 to conspiring to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin, was sentenced to 12 years and three months in federal prison. Denzell Lamar Bunkley, also known as “Chotty” and “King,” 22, who also pleaded guilty in July of 2014 to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, was sentenced to three years and one month.
From at least the summer of 2013 to April 2, 2014, Harris led a conspiracy with Bunkley and others, including Steven Edward Lewis, Jakaiser Wesley Jackson, and Brandon S. Keaton, to distribute heroin, primarily in West Huntington. Harris recruited co-conspirators and frequently arranged for the transportation of heroin from Detroit, Michigan, to Huntington. Harris used multiple locations to store, prepare and distribute heroin, including the Red Roof Inn Hotel located on Route 60 in Huntington and an apartment located at 1416 Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington. In addition to Bunkley, Jackson, and Keaton, Harris also recruited local residents to assist with drug distribution.
On December 31, 2013, officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant at the Jefferson Avenue apartment. Officers seized approximately 413 grams of heroin and $12,349 in cash during the search. Officers also arrested Harris, Bunkley, and Lewis who were located inside the apartment.
Harris was again arrested on February 20, 2014, in Ohio by the Ohio State Highway Patrol while travelling from Huntington to Detroit. During his arrest, officers seized a total of $24,930 in cash from Harris.
Harris was arrested for a third time on April 2, 2014, after officers received information that he was again present at the Red Roof Inn in Huntington distributing heroin. Officers searched two rooms at the hotel and seized approximately 192 grams of heroin along with $3,000 in cash. Harris, along with Jackson, had arranged to transport the heroin from Detroit to Huntington days prior to the search.During today’s hearing, the Court found Harris responsible for arranging the distribution of over one kilogram of heroin, primarily in West Huntington, during the conspiracy. The Court also found that Harris served as a manager and organizer of the conspiracy and that he maintained a residence in West Huntington for the purpose of distributing heroin.
The Huntington Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service all participated in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.
This case was brought 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 pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiates and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
California Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A California man who distributed heroin, methamphetamine, and oxycodone in Charleston and Summersville, West Virginia in 2012 and 2013 was sentenced today to 15 years and eight months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Donnell Dwayne Diego, 34, of San Diego, California previously pleaded guilty in April of 2014, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The guilty plea resolved Diego’s involvement in three separate investigations conducted by task force agents in Kanawha and Nicholas counties.
On October 11, 2012 officers from the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) searched Diego’s Central Avenue residence in Charleston and seized two loaded semiautomatic pistols, crack cocaine, and oxycodone tablets. Diego posted bond in Kanawha County Magistrate Court after his arrest and was released from custody. In June and July of 2013, MDENT officers used an informant to make three undercover purchases of methamphetamine from Diego. On July 11, 2013, police executed a search warrant at Diego’s residence and seized more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, more than 50 grams of heroin, and almost $10,000. Diego agreed to speak with police and admitted bringing heroin and methamphetamine from San Diego, California to distribute in West Virginia. Diego posted bond in Kanawha County Magistrate Court after his arrest and was, again, released from custody.
In October of 2013, a federal indictment was returned against Diego charging him with drug and firearm offenses arising from the October 2012 arrest. On November 5, 2013, members of the San Diego County Integrated Narcotic Task Force working drug interdiction in the San Diego, California International Airport seized more than $22,000 from Diego’s carry-on luggage. They were not aware of the federal indictment and did not arrest Diego.
In October and November of 2013, Diego was living at a residence on Scenic Highway near Summersville, West Virginia. Members of the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force (CWVDTF) used an informant to purchase heroin and methamphetamine on several occasions from a man living with Diego. On November 18, 2013, task force agents from both MDENT and CWVDTF executed a search warrant at Diego’s residence. Among other items, police seized more than 30 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 10 grams of heroin, fifteen firearms, and more than $16,000. Diego was not home at the time of the search but drove by the residence while police were there. He refused a Nicholas County Deputy’s command to stop and led police on a vehicle chase several miles along Scenic Highway. The chase came to an end when members of the tactical entry team, who had already cleared the scene of the search warrant, disabled
Diego’s vehicle by shooting out its tires after he drove around their roadblock.
Diego has previously been convicted of several felony offenses in California including burglary and grand theft in 2003 and distribution of drugs in 2004 and 2007.MDENT and CWVDTF conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
Justice Department Settles Allegations of Disability-based Housing Discrimination with West Virginia DeveloperRead the Press Release
Note: The consent order is available here: Pauley Consent Order
_________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRT
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 (202) 514-2007
WWW.JUSTICE.GOV TTY (866) 544-5309WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that developer Douglas Pauley and entities affiliated with him have agreed to pay $110,000 and make approximately $1.7 million in retrofits required to remove accessibility barriers at 30 apartment complexes, involving more than 750 units in West Virginia. The parties’ agreement will settle the United States’ claims that defendants had violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by building the complexes with a variety of features that made them inaccessible to persons with disabilities. The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia approved the settlement yesterday.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pauley, as General Partner of 30 limited liability partnerships, must take extensive actions to make the complexes accessible to persons with disabilities, including wheelchair users. These corrective actions include replacing excessively sloped portions of sidewalks, installing properly sloped curb ramps to allow persons with disabilities to access the sidewalks from the parking areas, replacing cabinets in bathrooms and kitchens to provide sufficient room for wheelchair users, and reducing door threshold heights. In addition, defendants will pay $100,000 to establish a settlement fund for the purpose of compensating individuals with disabilities who have been impacted by the accessibility violations and $10,000 as a civil penalty.
“The Fair Housing Act protects the rights of persons with disabilities to have equal opportunities to enjoy the housing of their choice,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Civil Rights Division. “And this comprehensive resolution will ensure equal access to persons with disabilities at 30 apartment complexes and will compensate those injured by the failure to provide accessible housing.”
“Housing is a fundamental human need, and it’s deeply unfair to deny persons with disabilities equal access to it,” said Booth Goodwin, United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. “Thanks to this case, the developer will be required to devote nearly $2 million to correcting and compensating for the harm that he and his companies have caused. That’s an important victory for West Virginians with disabilities.”
Individuals who are entitled to share in the settlement fund will be identified through a process established in the settlement. Notices of the settlement and a list of subject properties will be published in the Charleston Gazette. Persons who believe they were subjected to unlawful discrimination at one of those properties either when they lived there or considered living there should contact the Justice Department toll-free at 1-800-896-7743 mailbox # 9993 or e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected].
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.usdoj.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected], or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777.
Goodwin Announces Crime-fighting Grant for HuntingtonRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney also welcomes selection of new Huntington police chief
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that Huntington has been awarded $100,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. The grant funding is being provided as part of the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program. The award is a planning grant under which a strategic, collaborative and community-oriented plan will be designed to reduce crime in a specific neighborhood or target area. The city will use the grant to attack crime in downtown Huntington, in an area stretching from 18th Street to 1st Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard to 7th Avenue.
U.S. Attorney Goodwin also welcomed today's announcement that Joe Ciccarelli has been selected as Huntington's new police chief. "I have known and worked with Joe Ciccarelli for many years during his time as a special agent with the FBI," Goodwin said. "He has long been a leader in the law enforcement community in southern West Virginia. Joe has a unique ability to bring agencies together in pursuit of a common goal. Mayor Williams made a great choice.
"Former Chief Skip Holbrook made invaluable and lasting contributions to the city of Huntington and its police department," Goodwin continued. "I was fortunate to work with him and the department on many initiatives to help fight crime in Huntington. I look forward to continuing that productive partnership and making it even stronger. "
Press AdvisoryRead the Press Release
U.S. ATTORNEY GOODWIN, U.S. MARSHAL FOSTER AND OFFICIALS WITH STATE POLICE TO ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY CHECKS IN KANAWHA COUNTY
Charleston, W.Va. – U. S. Attorney Booth Goodwin will join U.S. Marshal John Foster and West Virginia State Police officials to announce the results of a sex offender registry check operation in Kanawha County.
WHERE: U.S. Marshal’s Office
Robert C. Byrd Courthouse
300 Virginia Street East
Charleston, WVWHEN: 10 A.M., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
Click here to view the Press Conference Announcement
Law Enforcement Officials Announce the Results of Sex Offender Sweep in Kanawha CountyRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, U.S. Marshal John Foster and West Virginia State Police First Lieutenant Michael Baylous announced today that as a result of a four-day law enforcement operation aimed at verifying compliance of more than 411 registered sex offenders currently residing in Kanawha County, 24 offenders were found to be out of compliance.
The initiative, dubbed Operation C4 (Capitol City Compliance Checks), is a multi-agency law enforcement effort targeting registered sex offenders to determine individual compliance with the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, or SORNA. Led by the U.S. Marshal’s Sex Offender Investigations Branch, Operation C4 targeted 411 registered sex offenders and found 387 to be in compliance. A total of 24 offenders were found out of compliance during the checks conducted on September 22-25. Warrants were issued for 20 offenders, and of those 12 have already been arrested. Operation C4 revealed that seven sex offenders had absconded. Deputy U.S. Marshals, along with West Virginia State Troopers, will continue their investigation until those violators are found.
“The prosecution of sex offenders remains one of my office’s top priorities. These sweeps are an important step in bringing to justice those offenders who have not registered as required by law, and who continue to pose a threat to the communities in which they hide,” said U. S. Attorney Goodwin.
Operation C4 was initiated by members of the West Virginia State Police, in cooperation with the U.S. Marshal’s Service Sex Offender Investigations Branch for the Southern District of West Virginia. U. S. Marshal John Foster stated, “The U.S. Marshal’s Service will continue conducting these sweeps and tracking down sex offenders who are not in compliance with the law.”
Through this and previous regional sweeps throughout the Southern District of West Virginia, a combined total of more than 1,250 offender compliance checks have been conducted.
The Sex Offender Registration Notification Act (SORNA) is a part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. SORNA provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States.
These sweeps are conducted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html.
Goodwin Encourages West Virginians to Participate in Upcoming Prescription Drug Take-back EventRead the Press Release
National Rx Take Back Day Scheduled for September 27, 10a.m. to 2p.m.
Charleston, W.Va. – U. S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Resident Agent in Charge Suzan Williamson today encouraged West Virginians to continue their support for the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative which has removed over 14 tons of prescription drugs from homes throughout West Virginia and more than 2,100 tons of pills nationwide as a result of eight such events to date. The ninth National Prescription Drug Take-Back event is scheduled for this Saturday, September 27th from 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. at various locations throughout the state.
Medicines that languish in home medicine cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. “Great strides have been made in reducing the supply of illegal prescription drugs on streets throughout West Virginia. One of the big reasons why supplies have dropped is because West Virginians have come together for each of the previous eight take-back events to properly dispose of their unneeded medications, ultimately keeping them out of the wrong hands.”
Resident Agent in Charge Williamson commended all of the federal, state and local partners in West Virginia for their assistance. Noting that there are over 120 collection sites participating in Saturday’s event, Williamson stated, “It is the assistance of all of our law enforcement partners that continues to make Prescription Drug Take-Back events so successful in West Virginia.”
The Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative is coordinated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. For a full list of take back locations offered on Saturday, September 27th,, go to www.dea.gov. Drop-offs are accepted with no questions asked.
Two Mercer County Men Appear in Federal Court on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Bluefield, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Michael Devon Harmon, 36, of Princeton, was sentenced today in federal court in Bluefield to 9 years in federal prison for distribution of hydromorphone. Harmon pled guilty in May of 2014, admitting that on July 24, 2013, he sold two hydromorphone pills to a confidential informant in Princeton. Harmon also admitted that in addition to hydromorphone, he distributed cocaine base and cocaine to the informant during the summer of 2013.
Marvin Gillespie, 62, of Bluefield, also appeared in federal court in Bluefield and pled guilty to distribution of hydromorphone. Gillespie admitted that on February 6, 2014, he sold two hydromorphone pills to a confidential informant in Bluefield. Gillespie faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine when he is sentenced on January 27, 2015.
These cases were investigated by the Southern West Virginia Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney John File handled the prosecution. These cases are 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.
Former Fayette Sheriff's Department Employee Sentenced for Theft of Concealed Weapons FeesRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Cheryl Gray, 44, of Hilltop, West Virginia was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston to one year and one day in federal prison for mail fraud involving concealed weapons permits. Gray is a former employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department where her duties included the collection of application fees for concealed weapons permits, and creating and submitting a list of permits issued by Fayette County to the West Virginia State Police. Gray previously pled guilty to mail fraud in June of 2014. At the plea hearing, Gray admitted that she stole the cash payments made by applicants for concealed weapons permits. She hid the theft by creating incomplete applicant lists and submitting them to the West Virginia State Police, omitting close to 400 names of applicants who had paid in cash. The fraud, which continued for more than six months, resulted in a combined loss to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police of approximately $40,000.
The West Virginia State Police, Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.
Defendant was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Selling Heroin in ParkersburgRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – An Ohio man who distributed heroin in Parkersburg, West Virginia in 2013 was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Marion Alonvo Felder, 30, of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, previously pleaded guilty in May of 2014 to distribution of heroin.
On three occasions in September and October 2013, Felder sold heroin to an informant working with police in Parkersburg. Felder admitted coming to Parkersburg from Marion, Ohio in early 2013 to sell heroin. Felder’s case was part of a larger investigation into heroin being brought from Chicago, Illinois and Marion, Ohio to be sold in and around Parkersburg.
The Parkersburg Police Department and the Washington County, Ohio Major Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
Another Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution in HuntingtonRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Joey Jamal Braggs, 30, of Detroit, Michigan, pled guilty in federal court in Huntington to a charge of distribution of oxymorphone. On July 25, 2014, a confidential informant working with law enforcement, contacted Eric Silverstein to arrange the purchase of 10 40-milligram oxymorphone pills. Silverstein drove the confidential informant to the 1400 block of 4th Avenue in Silverstein's vehicle. Braggs then met Silverstein and the confidential informant and got into the back seat of Silverstein's car where the drug transaction took place. Braggs sold the confidential informant 10 oxymorphone pills in exchange for $600. On July 28, 2014, Braggs made an additional sale of oxymorphone to the confidential informant, with Silverstein again serving as the middle man. Silverstein has been indicted for his role in the drug conspiracy and is awaiting trial scheduled for November 13, 2014, in federal court in Huntington.
Braggs faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on January 12, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force. 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 and heroin trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
Beckley Woman Receives Prison Sentence for Heroin DistributionRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Teruko Miller, 29, of Beckley, West Virginia was sentenced today to one year in federal prison for distribution of heroin. Miller previously pled guilty in June of 2014, to selling heroin to a person who was cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Stanaford Road in Beckley, West Virginia.
This case was investigated by the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit. 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.
Defendant was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Irene C. Berger.
Barboursville Pharmacy Owner Arraigned on Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
Forty-count Indictment Alleges Drug Distribution and Money Laundering
Huntington, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Kofe Ohene Agyekum appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl A. Eifert yesterday for an arraignment on a forty-count indictment charging him with drug distribution and money laundering. Agyekum pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment, returned on September 10, 2014, by a federal grand jury sitting in Huntington, alleges that Agyekum was the director and president of KAYPAT Medical Inc., which did business as A+ Care Pharmacy, located in Barboursville, West Virginia. Agyekum was employed at A+ Pharmacy as a pharmacist intern.
Count One of the indictment alleges that Agyekum conspired to unlawfully distribute oxycodone and hydromorphone from August 2013 through July 2014. Counts Two through Four of the indictment allege that Agyekum unlawfully distributed oxycodone and hydromorphone on specific days in June and July of 2014. The remaining thirty-five counts in the indictment allege that Agyekum engaged in money laundering by depositing cash proceeds from the drug conspiracies at various banks in Barboursville with the intent of concealing the source of the cash.
The indictment also seeks to forfeit more than $2 million in cash and a luxury vehicle.
The case has been assigned to Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. The trial date has been set for November 18, 2014.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is responsible for the prosecution.
Note: An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Reentry into United StatesRead the Press Release
Illegal Immigrant was Deported After Felony Drug Conviction
CHARLESTON, W. Va. - United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Jorge Leonardo Reyes-Figueroa, 26, from Honduras plead guilty today in federal court in Charleston to the charge of illegal reentry into the United States following deportation.
In 2010, Reyes-Figueroa, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was convicted in Adams County, Colorado of a felony drug offense involving heroin distribution. Following the criminal conviction, Reyes-Figueroa was deported to Honduras. Sometime thereafter, Reyes-Figueroa illegally reentered the United States. In May of 2014, officers with the West Virginia State Police found Reyes-Figueroa living in Ripley, West Virginia.
Reyes-Figueroa faces up to twenty years in prison, and a fine of $250,000 when sentenced on November 18, 2014. He is also subject to deportation from the United States back to Honduras.
The West Virginia State Police and the United States Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States of America.
Columbus Man Ppleads Guilty for Role in Hydrocodone ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Conspirators Transported Prescription Drugs from Florida to Charleston in Bi-monthly Trips
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that David Frizzell, age 44, of Columbus, Ohio, plead guilty today in federal court in Charleston for his role in a conspiracy to distribute hydrocodone. Frizzell admitted that from early 2010 through October of 2011, he arranged bi-monthly trips for himself and others to obtain Lortab tablets, which contain hydrocodone, from various pharmacies in Florida. Some of the drugs were brought back to Charleston to be sold. Frizzell paid the travel expenses and provided the transportation for the trips.
Frizzell faces up to ten years imprisonment and a $500,000 fine when he sentenced December 18, 2014.
The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) was responsible for the investigation of Frizzell and others involved in the conspiracy.
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.
United States Attorney Booth Goodwin to Host Law Enforcement & Victim Assistance Awards Ceremony TomorrowRead the Press Release
*****MEDIA ADVISORY*****
Event to Honor Outstanding Service and Achievement of Law Enforcement, Community Leaders, Among Others
CHARLESTON, W.Va. –United States Attorney Booth Goodwin will host the 2014 Law Enforcement and Victim Assistance Awards ceremony on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014, AT NOON, at the Glade Springs Resort in Daniels, West Virginia.
The annual awards ceremony, hosted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, recognizes exemplary service of federal, state and local law enforcement officers, as well as other leaders who have made significant contributions on behalf of the criminal justice system. In addition, several nominees chosen as part of the victim advocacy category will be honored for outstanding efforts, vision and/or leadership in support of crime victims.
WHO: U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, joined by various representatives from the law enforcement community and community leaders;
WHAT: Annual Law Enforcement and Victim Assistance Awards ceremony;
WHEN: Tuesday, September 16, 2014;
TIME: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Glade Springs Resort
255 Resort Drive
Daniels, WV*The awards ceremony will be preceded by a brief reception.
Newman Drug Organization Member Sentenced for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
Huntington W.Va – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that William Petties, 33, of Huntington, West Virginia, was sentenced in federal court in Huntington to three years and ten months in federal prison on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm. On January 20, 2014, agents with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration searched the home of Petties’ girlfriend at 1130 28th Street in Huntington. Petties, who regularly stayed at the home, was outside when agents arrived with the search warrant. The search uncovered a loaded Springfield .40 caliber pistol, which was owned by Petties’ girlfriend, but which Petties admitted he jointly possessed and controlled. Petties was convicted in 2000 of aggravated robbery and is prohibited from possessing any firearm.
Petties is a former member of the drug trafficking organization operated by Kenneth Dewitt Newman, also known as “K-Kutta.” The investigation of the Newman Organization established that Newman, along with others, distributed cocaine, heroin, MDMA, marijuana, and prescription pills in the Huntington area.
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and 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.
Former Bank Officer Sentenced for Misallocation of Bank FundsRead the Press Release
First State Bank Vice President Made More Than $1.4 Million in Bad Bank Loans
Huntington, W.Va. – A former vice president of First State Bank in Barboursville, West Virginia was sentenced today to five years in federal prison and ordered to repay the bank $1,420,000 in misallocated funds announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Jackie Cantley, 34, previously pleaded guilty on February 18, 2014.Cantley was a vice president at First State Bank responsible for commercial lending. Between January and September of 2012, Cantley authorized a series of loans, in excess of his lending authority, without making required disclosures about family and personal relationships among him and the borrowers. Cantley improperly authorized these loans without loan applications, adequate financial information or sufficient collateral to secure the loans. Cantley knew that the borrowers were not credit-worthy, but nonetheless authorized $1,420,000 in loans that the bank would not have approved had it been aware of Cantley’s actions. Cantley personally benefitted from at least one loan when proceeds were used to purchase a pizza business in which Cantley was a part owner.
This case was investigated by the Federal Deposit of Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Eumi Choi was responsible for the prosecution.
Federal, State and Local Programs to Join in A Statewide Awareness CampaignRead the Press Release
Contact:
WVCADV: Joyce Yedlosky / Tonia Thomas, 304-965-3552, 304-534-0641;
US Attorney’ Office, Southern District of WV: Tracy Dorsey Chapman, Victim Witness Coordinator, 800-659-8726, (304) 345-2200
US Attorney’ Office, Northern District of WV: Chris Zumpetta-Parr, 304-234-7725Recent charges of domestic violence against well-known professional athletes have heightened public interest in the tools available to assist domestic-violence victims and to prosecute domestic-violence offenses. For the past twenty years, one crucial tool in this area has been the federal Violence Against Women Act, which was enacted in September 1994.
The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence joins United States Attorneys Booth Goodwin and William Ihlenfeld in recognizing the 20th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.
“The original law had three simple goals: make streets safer for women; make homes safer for women; and protect women’s civil rights.” – Senator Biden, 1990 (lobbying efforts for 1994 passage)
“VAWA ensures that victims have access to crucial services and resources by supporting shelters and local domestic violence and sexual assault programs across the state and country,” stated Joyce Yedlosky, Team Coordinator with the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “It also improves the criminal justice response to violence against women by providing funding for dedicated prosecutors and law enforcement who work as a team with local advocates to keep victims safe and to hold perpetrators accountable.”
United States Attorney Booth Goodwin stated, “Before the passage of VAWA, these cases were difficult to prosecute because they often involved multiple jurisdictions. Abusers often travel between states to stalk or harass their victims or to violate protective orders. Or worse yet, they drag their victims across state lines to take them away from their families and friends and support systems. VAWA equipped federal prosecutors with the necessary tools to overcome these challenges.”“We’ve made a lot of progress in the fight against domestic violence over the past two decades but much more work still needs to be done,” said Northern District U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II. “We must redouble our efforts to prosecute domestic violence offenders who possess firearms despite being prohibited by Federal law.”
Goodwin and Ihlenfeld will join advocates, prosecutors, law enforcement and survivors across the state this week to conduct roundtable discussions on real challenges and solutions to ending violence against women. Press are invited to attend:
Tuesday, September 16th:- 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Shepherd University, Martinsburg Center, 261 Aikens Center, Martinsburg, WV, room 205 (local press contact: Ann Smith, 304-263-8522 )
Wednesday, September 17th:
- 9:30 am – 11:00 am, Governor Huelett C. Smith Theatre, Tamarack, Beckley, WV; (local press contact: Patricia Bailey, Executive Director or Dee Sizemore, PR Coordinator, 304-255-2559)
- 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, 704 Bland Street Suite 209, Bluefield, WV (local press contact: Patricia Daniels, Advocate Supervisor, 304-436-8117, ext 25)
Thursday, September 18th:
- 9:00 am – 10:30 am, Marshall University Student Center, Huntington, WV (local press contact: Amanda Weiss McComas, Director, 304-529-2382)
- 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, YWCA, 1114 Quarrier Street, First Floor O’Connor Aultz Room, Charleston WV; (local press contact: Carol Sun, YWCA Development Director, 304-414-3113 )
- 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, YWCA Wheeling, 1100 Chapline Street, Wheeling, WV ( local press contact: Patricia Flanigan, Program Director, (304) 232-2748
“Violence against women is the seed to so many other forms of violence and it continues to have devastating effects on families and communities across the country,” stated Yedlosky. “To end violence in our communities, we must first end violence in our homes.”
Additional resources and information about the Violence Against Women Act are attached.20 Years After the Passage of The Violence Against Women Act Resources
“In its totality, the Violence Against Women Act was the first federal law that directly held violence against women as a violation of basic civil rights and fundamental human dignity.” –Vice President Biden, 2013 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/09/fact-sheet-standing-women-s-civil-rights-20-years-after-vawa )
"In 1994, VAWA was a long awaited response from the federal government to address the epidemic levels of violence against women in their homes and in their communities," said Kim Gandy, President and CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). "At that time, many states had made progress in addressing domestic and sexual violence, but the federal government did not have a comprehensive response to violence against women." (http://nnedv.org/news/4373-nnedv-honors-vawa-s-20th-anniversary-and-calls-for-ongoing-action.html )
Here are some examples of VAWA’s effectiveness . (https://www.legalmomentum.org/blog/celebrating-20-years-violence-against-women-act ):- Between 1993, the year VAWA was introduced, and 2010, violence against family members and intimate partners in the U.S. declined 67%.
- There has been as much as a 51% increase in reporting of such violence by women and a 37% increase in reporting by men.
- Between 1993 and 2007, the rate of intimate partner homicides of women decreased by 35%, and the rate of intimate partner homicides of men decreased 46%.
- VAWA has saved taxpayers billions of dollars in costs for medical and mental health services, as well as costs for law enforcement and justice system expenditures
In West Virginia, VAWA has contributed to successful initiatives that have lead to:
- Help maintaining 14 licensed domestic violence programs that provide free, confidential, community based, services to all 55 counties in WV.
- Pro arrest laws shifting the responsibility from the victim to the state for filing criminal charges against domestic violence perpetrators;
- A network of community and system based advocates to provide support, education, and legal advocacy as victims walk through the complex, comprehensive legal systems;
- Cross system trainings, collaborative efforts and strategies with a variety of systems that impact families experiencing domestic violence;
- County wide coordinated community response teams to develop and maintain policies and protocols that facilitate safety and accountability;
- Statutory elimination of applying pretrial diversion (as evident in the Ray Rice case) to domestic violence cases preventing domestic violence perpetrators from being able to “erase” their record through a dismissal of charges for good behavior;
- Just recently, WV moved in ranking of states from 8th in the nation to 13th of women murdered by men due to domestic violence (When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2012 Homicide Data. http://www.vpc.org/studies/wmmw2014.pdf )
Cleveland Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
Charleston, WV – A Cleveland, Ohio man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing a stolen firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. James Herod III, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston.
Herod admitted that on August 23, 2013, he was approached by police officers at the Greyhound Bus Station in Charleston. Herod, who had both a stolen firearm and marijuana in his possession ran from the officers and attempted to discard the pistol while the officers were chasing him. Herod had previously stolen the firearm in Putnam County, West Virginia. Herod faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on December 16, 2014.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Charleston Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn 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.
Lincoln County Grandfather and Grandson Sentenced to Prison for Oxycodone DistributionRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Wallace Adkins, 82, and his grandson, Timothy Harvey, 30, were sentenced to federal prison terms for their roles in the distribution of oxycodone in Lincoln County, West Virginia. Adkins was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and Harvey was sentenced to three years and five months in prison. The two family members had previously plead guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of oxycodone.
During their May 27, 2014, guilty plea hearing, Adkins and Harvey admitted that on March 26, 2013, a confidential informant (CI) working with law enforcement came to Adkins’ home in West Hamlin to buy oxycodone. The CI gave Adkins $200.00. Harvey then reached into Adkins’ shirt pocket, retrieved a bottle of pills, and gave the CI five oxycodone. The men told the Court that they had been distributing oxycodone from Adkins’ home for over a year.
The sentences were imposed by United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr.
The case was investigated by the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman 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 pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Coal City Man Sentenced to Thirty Months for Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Harry D. Rhodes, Jr., 49 of Coal City, West Virginia was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for a federal drug charge. Rhodes previously pled guilty in May of 2014, to selling oxycodone, a powerful and addictive prescription pain medication, to a person who was cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place in Coal City, near Beckley, West Virginia.
This case was investigated by the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit. 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 Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Raymond Edmonds, 43, of Beckley, West Virginia pled guilty in federal court in Beckley to distribution of oxycodone. Edmonds admitted that on March 18, 2014, he sold oxycodone to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Burmeister Avenue in Beckley. Edmonds faces a sentence of up to twenty years and a $1,000,000 fine. 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 also 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.
United States District Court Judge Irene C. Berger set the sentencing for January 8, 2015.