Press Release
Mississippi man and Harrison County man admit to roles in a methamphetamine distribution operation
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of West Virginia
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kedric Pearson, of Waynesboro, Mississippi, and Taylor Espinoza, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, have admitted to their involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Pearson, age 34, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Pearson admitted to working with others to distribute methamphetamine in Harrison County and elsewhere from the fall of 2017 to September 2018.
Espinoza, age 21, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Espinoza admitted to having methamphetamine in August 2018 in Harrison County.
Pearson and Espinoza each face up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Greater Harrison Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Updated April 9, 2019
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component