Meth and Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

CLEVELAND – A Summit County man has been sentenced to prison for his role as a supplier of illegal substances in Summit and Portage counties and the surrounding region.

Leverne Eugene Fortson, 51, of Akron, was sentenced to 210 months (17.5 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after a federal jury found him guilty in August of the following charges:

• Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine.
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.

Fortson was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment. In addition, the court ordered that he serve an additional 30 months for a supervised release violation, bringing the total to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison. Judge Adams imposed the sentence Oct. 28.

Court documents show that from about January to July 2024, Fortson and co-conspirator Jeffery Scott Goldbach, 54, of Mantua, Ohio, operated a drug trafficking scheme that distributed methamphetamine and cocaine throughout Summit and Portage counties and the surrounding region.  Search warrants were executed at each of their homes. At Fortson’s home in Akron, investigators seized 54.7 grams of pure methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and several mason jars containing fake urine. At Goldbach’s residence, agents seized a semi-automatic rifle, 22 grams of cocaine, approximately 55.5 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Co-conspirator Goldbach pleaded guilty in August to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 78 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release.

This drug trafficking organization was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, and Akron Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph P. Dangelo and Yasmine Makridis for the Northern District of Ohio.