Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Phillip Gray, 41, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Gray admitted to conspiring with other individuals to obtain methamphetamine and distribute it within the Southern District of West Virginia from on or about November 27, 2022, until on or about December 6, 2023.

On November 27, 2022, Gray and a co-conspirator sold 446 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $2,600 at an Oak Hill trailer park. On February 2, 2023, Gray and another individual sold 443 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a trailer park near Oak Hill. As part of his guilty plea, Gray admitted to participating in both transactions.

Gray is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.

Gray is among four individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Leondus Whittenburg, 43, of Beckley, pleaded guilty on March 3, 2025, to distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. John Gray, 39, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2024, to distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine. Whittenburg and John Gray await sentencing. The indictment against co-defendant Daemien Thompson, 39, of Oak Hill, is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.

United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew D. Isabell and Brian D. Parsons are 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 No. 5:24-cr-31.

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