Co-Leader of Lightfoot Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Running One of the Largest DTOs in Pittsburgh History

PITTSBURGH – A former resident of Monessen, PA, has plead guilty to federal narcotics charges, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Deaubre Lightfoot, age 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine in front of United States District Court Judge Mark R. Hornak. Additionally, Lightfoot accepted responsibility for between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine and for having a leadership role supervising five or more people in the conspiracy. Judge Hornak scheduled his sentencing for April 16, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. Lightfoot has been detained since his initial appearance and will remain detained pending sentencing.

According to information presented to the court, from April 2017 to November 5, 2017, Deaubre Lightfoot conspired with others to import large quantities of cocaine and marijuana into Western Pennsylvania. Once the narcotics were in Western Pennsylvania, Lighfoot, and his brother Jamie Lightfoot, Jr. who previously pleaded guilty in this case, would store the narcotics at their respective homes. The drugs would be distributed to co-conspirators in almost every region of Western Pennsylvania. On December 12, 2017, FBI investigators recovered a kilogram of cocaine from Deaubre Lightfoot’s residence.

The law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years and/or a fine of not more than $5,000,000. 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 defendant.

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy M. Lanni and Shaun Sweeney are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the South Strabane Police Department, the Elizabeth Borough Police Department, the Penn Hills Police Department and the Perryopolis Police Department, conducted the investigation.  

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.