Ohio man sentenced for selling bath salts and synthetic drugs

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – John Skruck, 59, of Youngstown, Ohio, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his role in distributing bath salts and synthetic drugs through local retail stores, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced today.

Skruck was a manager of the Hot Stuff Cool Things retail shops in Clarksburg and Buckhannon. He participated in a scheme to distribute bath salts and synthetic drugs. He also structured financial transactions to avoid reporting more than $200,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Skruck pled guilty in December 2014 to one count of “Drug Conspiracy” and one count of “Structuring Monetary Transactions to Evade the Reporting Requirement.” He was sentenced today to 41 months in prison on each count. The sentences will run concurrent with each other for a total of 41 months in prison. As part of the sentence imposed today, Skruck will also forfeit multiple parcels of real property, U.S. currency and bank accounts, vehicles, heavy equipment, a trailer, and a professional embroidery machine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert McWilliams and Michael Stein along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parr and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Morgan prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the Three Rivers Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Greater Harrison County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.