Luzerne County Man Pleads Guilty To Bath Salts Distribution Conspiracy

     The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced the guilty plea of a West Pittston man for his role in a conspiracy to distribute “bath salts”.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Todd Morgans, age 34, pled guilty to conspiring with others to distribute alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (A-PVP), an analogue of methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) before U.S. District Judge Malachy Mannion in federal court yesterday.  A-PVP is a synthetic cathinone which is included in a family of abused drugs commonly known as “bath salts”. 

     A controlled substance analogue is a drug which has not been scheduled under The Controlled Substances Act but shares a substantially similar chemical structure as a scheduled drug and has a substantially similar stimulant or hallucinogenic effect on a person’s central nervous system.  Additionally, the government must also establish that drug was distributed for human consumption.  The Controlled Substances Act provides that controlled substance analogues shall be treated as if the substance were the scheduled drug for prosecution and sentencing purposes.

     U.S. Attorney Smith noted that the plea agreement provides that the defendant will accept the United States Sentencing Guidelines enhancement that is applicable when the death or seriously bodily injury of another results from the use of the controlled substance.  The investigation surrounding the death of Jason Folweiler remains ongoing.

     Morgans has agreed to forfeit an automobile, the contents of his bank account, $40,000 in currency seized from the defendant’s home and a silver bar.

     This investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police and the West Pittston Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amy C. Phillips.