Fayette County Couple Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Valerie A. Angel, 58, of Mount Carbon, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of cocaine and Christopher Lee Miller, 61, of Mount Carbon, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of a quantity of cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Angel admitted to distributing three packages each containing 3.5 grams of cocaine to a confidential informant at the Mount Carbon residence she shared with Miller on July 11, 2019. Miller admitted to arranging the transaction by telephone earlier that day and accepting $600 from the confidential informant in exchange for the cocaine distributed by Angel.

Angel and Miller further admitted to selling cocaine to the confidential informant on 10 other occasions between July 15, 2019, and October 24, 2019, at their residence. Angel or Miller arranged each of these transactions over the telephone with the confidential informant, and shared the responsibilities and benefits of distributing the cocaine.

Angel and Miler are scheduled to be sentenced on September 6, 2023, and each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:23-cr-76 and 2:23-cr-77. 

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