Northern District of West Virginia

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA

William J. Ihlenfeld, II
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-0100 ● Contact: Fawn E. Thomas, Public Affairs Specialist

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March 17, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pittsburgh Resident Enters Plea of Guilty
to Cocaine Conspiracy Charge

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A 49-year old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, resident entered a plea of guilty today (March 17, 2011), in United States District Court in Clarksburg before Magistrate Judge John S. Kaull.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that RICHARD J. SPECIALE, also known as “BIG RICK,” entered a plea of guilty to one count of an Indictment charging him with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine from June 2007 to January of 2010 in the Northern District of West Virginia. SPECIALE, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of $4,000,000.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew R. Cogar and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Call Sharon Perry at (304) 234-7721 or Email Sharon.Perry2@usdoj.gov to schedule your event.

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