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June 8, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two Pennsylvania Residents Were Indicted
on Heroin-Related Charges

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — Two Pennsylvania residents were named in an Indictment returned on June 2, 2009, by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Wheeling, West Virginia.

United States Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced that TOMEZ LUKE FAULKNER, age 22, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and DARRYL RAYMOND KYLES, age 26, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, were named in a four-count Indictment.

Count One of the Indictment alleges that FAULKNER and KYLES conspired to possess with intent to distribute heroin on May 1, 2009, near Dallas Pike, West Virginia. Count Two of the Indictment alleges that FAULKNER and KYLES, aided and abetted by each other, traveled in interstate commerce from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Dallas Pike, West Virginia, with the intent to facilitate a business enterprise involving heroin. Counts Three and Four of the Indictment allege that KYLES used the telephone system on May 1, 2009, to facilitate the distribution of heroin.

If convicted, FAULKNER and KYLES face a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000 on Count One of the Indictment; a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on Count Two of the Indictment; and a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 each on Counts Three and Four of the Indictment.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force. The Task Force consists of officers from the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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.