Fayette County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – John Gray, 40, of Oak Hill, was sentenced on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing a quantity of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 28, 2023, Gray sold approximately 2 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Oak Hill. Gray admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling approximately 848 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Oak Hill on May 1, 2023. Gray also admitted to selling 3 grams of fentanyl on May 3, 2024, and another 3 grams of fentanyl on May 6, 2024, each time to a confidential informant in Oak Hill. During a March 1, 2024, interview with law enforcement officers, Gray admitted that he had been distributing approximately 3 grams of fentanyl three times per week from April 2023 until his arrest in March 2024.

Gray is among four individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy. All four pleaded guilty. Phillip Gray, 42, of Oak Hill and a brother of John Gray, was sentenced on October 15, 2025, to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Leondus Whittenburg, 43, of Beckley, was sentenced on August 19, 2025, to seven years and 11 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. Daemien Thompson, 40, of Oak Hill, pleaded guilty on May 7, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2026.

United States Attorney Moore Capito 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.

Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted 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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