19 Pennsylvanians Indicted in Philadelphia-to-Indiana County Drug Trafficking Network

JOHNSTOWN – Twelve residents of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, and seven residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Johnstown on charges of violating federal narcotics laws, money laundering, and unlawful possession of firearms, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. The defendants were arrested last week by federal, state and local law enforcement.

"Methamphetamine. Heroin. Fentanyl. Crack cocaine. This group sold it all, but now they are in jail and out of business," said U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. "Effective operations like this require strong partnerships across federal, state and local levels. We owe much of our success in this significant case to the solid working relationship we have built with Indiana County District Attorney Bob Manzi."

The five-count Indictment, returned on June 3, 2020, named:

Jelahn Williams, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

Ellen Blystone, 43, of Marion Center, Pennsylvania;

Malik Byers, 28, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

Isaiah Daniels-Wheeler, 24, of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania;

Ahmed Doumbia, 26, of Indiana, Pennsylvania;

Adam Drylie, 26, of Shelocta, Pennsylvania;

James Edwards, 51, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

Haylee Jackson, 26, of Creekside, Pennsylvania;

Romello Johnson-Holland, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

Joy McBride, 40, of Hyde, Pennsylvania;

Dayton Melton, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

Roger Miller, 33, of Homer City, Pennsylvania;

Michele Monfredi, 47, of Indiana, Pennsylvania;

Gregory Moore, 59, of Indiana, Pennsylvania;

Karl Pollard, 56, of Indiana, Pennsylvania;

Michael Schrecengost, 35, of Shelocta, Pennsylvania;

Taylor Shick, 30, of Marion Center, Pennsylvania;

Tamir Washington-Jenkins, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and

Christofer Waters, 26, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Indictment charges all defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, and salts of its isomers, or 500 grams of more of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and/or 28 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base in the form commonly known as "crack," and/or 40 grams of more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, from on or about July 5, 2018, and continuing thereafter to on or about May 5, 2020, in the Western District of Pennsylvania. The statute calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Jelahn Williams, Malik Byers, Isaiah Daniels-Wheeler, Ahmed Doumbia, Jamed Edwards, Gregory Moore, Karl Pollard, Tamir Washington-Jenkins, and Christofer Waters are charged at Count Two with conspiracy to commit money laundering, July 5, 2018, and continuing thereafter to on or about May 5, 2020. The statute calls for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Jelahn Williams, Ahmed Doumbia, and James Edwards are charged at Counts Three through Five, respectively, with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The statute calls for a maximum sentence of life in prison.

According to a criminal complaint filed previously in this case, as part of this investigation investigators have conducted court-authorized Title III interceptions of wire and electronic communications occurring over several telephones known to be used by members of this conspiracy. During the periods of interception, investigators have intercepted communications between the defendants related to the manufacture and/or distribution of crack cocaine and other controlled substances. The criminal complaint contains samples of calls between the named defendants.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

This case has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, Indiana County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force, Southwest Pennsylvania Safe Streets Task Force, Indiana Borough Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania assisted in this investigation.

This case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program, known as OCDETF. OCDETF was established in 1982 to support comprehensive investigations and prosecutions of major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. It is the keystone of the drug reduction strategy of the Department of Justice. By combining the resources and expertise of federal agencies and their state and local law enforcement partners, OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the most serious drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational criminal organizations.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.