Wheeling man admits to cocaine distribution

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A Wheeling, West Virginia man pled guilty today to cocaine distribution, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.

Sylvester “Sly” Walker, age 24, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location.”  He admitted to distributing cocaine near Luau Manor in Ohio County on January 25, 2017.

Walker faces 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 Randolph J. Bernard prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert presided.