Philadelphia man sentenced for fentanyl distribution

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – David Anthony Richardson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 63 months incarceration for distributing fentanyl, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Richardson, age 33, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl” in April 2019. Richardson admitted to having more than 40 grams of a substance containing fentanyl in Ohio County in August 2018.

Richardson faces no less than five years and up to 40 years incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000. 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 Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wheeling Police Department investigated.

The investigation was funded 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.

Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.