Eighteen Individuals Named In 48-Count Indictment On Cocaine And Heroin Charges

1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-7725 ● Contact: Chris Zumpetta-Parr, Public Affairs Specialist

Follow us on Twitter  @NDWVnews

Two others indicted by Federal Grand Jury

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA —United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Clarksburg returned a 48-count Indictment charging:

DEVON JOHNSON a/k/a “TY,” age 25, of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania; RAYSON BROWN a/k/a “RAY DALLAZ” a/k/a “TURTLE,” age 22, of West Homestead, Pennsylvania; GREGORY MORRIS a/k/a “KG” a/k/a “KILLERS,” age 30, of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania; CHARLES E. JEFFERSON, JR. a/k/a “LC,” age 25, of Westover, West Virginia; MAHMOUD FARES ABULABAN a/k/a “MAC,” age 24, of Morgantown, West Virginia; ANTHONY MICHAEL FATA a/k/a “HUBBA,” age 24, of Morgantown; JACOB WHITE, age 25; ERIC SNEED, age 24; BARTLEY JEFFERSON a/k/a “BART,” age 22, of Morgantown; CHRISTINA SHAFFER, age 27, of Morgantown; BRITTANY BOWER, age
26, of Morgantown; ANGELA NELSON, age 33; FARRAH ECHARD, age 24, of Reedsville, West Virginia; BEN PHARES, age 26, of Kingwood, West Virginia; GREG WILLIAMS, age
40; WRIGHT BOWEN, age 31; WILLIAM A. BLOSSER, age 29, of Morgantown; and, JASON HUNT, age 31, of Core, West Virginia, were charged with “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Cocaine” from the Summer of 2010 to the Spring of 2013, in Monongalia County, West Virginia.

BARTLEY JEFFERSON faces a total of seven counts; JOHNSON, MORRIS, CHARLES JEFFERSON, ABULABAN, WHITE, and BOWEN face a total of six counts; SNEED and BLOSSSER face a total of four counts; SHAFFER, BOWER, NELSON and PHARES face a total of three counts; and, BROWN, FATA, ECHARD, WILLIAMS and HUNT face a total of two counts.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, other charges include the distribution of heroin and cocaine and the distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of West Virginia University, Brookhaven Elementary School, Tot Lot playground at Marjorie Gardens, Star City playground and West Virginia Junior College.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is seeking to forfeit $1,551 in United States currency which constitutes proceeds obtained from the illegal activity.

Each defendant faces up to five to four years on the conspiracy charge; twenty years in prison on the distribution charges and up to forty years in prison on the sales that occurred near a protected location.

This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zelda E. Wesley and was investigated by the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations.
In addition, the following indictments were also returned by the grand jury this week: JOHN GEORGE CHAMBERS, age 62, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was named in
a one-count Indictment charging him with “Possession of Child Pornography on July 17, 2012,
in Harrison County. The Indictment also contains a Forfeiture Allegation wherein the United States seeks to forfeit the computer, hard drives and disks which were seized from CHAMBERS on July 17, 2012. If convicted, CHAMBERS faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zelda E. Wesley and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

FRANKLIN C. MOORE, age 43, of Precious, West Virginia, was named in a one-count Indictment charging him with “Felon in Possession of a Firearm” on November 3, 2013, in Taylor County. If convicted, BRANTLEY faces a maximum exposure of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The Indictment also contains a Forfeiture Allegation wherein the United States seeks to forfeit the firearm. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zelda E. Wesley and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It should be noted that the charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and that each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.