Three Marshall County residents and an Ohio man admit to drug distribution charges

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Four people have admitted to drug distribution charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

John Crow, of Moundsville, West Virginia, Jamie L. Moore, of Moundsville, West Virginia, and James Wood, of Moundsville, each pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Crow, age 49, Moore, age 47, and Wood, age 45, admitted to conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine in 2017 and 2018 in Marshall County.

Cornell D. Wallace, of Canton, Ohio, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Wallace, age 28, admitted to selling methamphetamine in August 2018 in Marshall County.

Crow, Moore, Wood, and Wallace 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 Robert H. McWilliams, Jr., is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Marshall County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office; the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office; the Sistersville Police Department; the Paden City Police Department; and the New Martinsville Police Department investigated. The Columbus, Ohio, Police Department Gang Crimes Unit assisted in the case. 

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.

Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.