Defendant Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Participating in Conspiracy to Distribute Powder Cocaine and Crack

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court yesterday for violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge David Stewart Cercone sentenced Douglas Williams, 38, to serve 18 months in prison following his guilty plea on April 24, 2018, to one count of conspiracy.

In connection with the guilty plea, Williams admitted that from in and around April 2016, and continuing thereafter to in and around October 2016, he conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack and 500 grams or more of powder cocaine. During his plea colloquy, the defendant admitted that he obtained powder cocaine from Jack Brown, a co-defendant, which the defendant converted to crack and sold to another member of the conspiracy, Mark Fisher, for further distribution.

The defendant is one of nine co-defendants who were indicted for their roles in the conspiracy on August 1, 2017. To date, all nine defendants have entered guilty pleas, and eight have been sentenced.

Assistant United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. The task force is headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and comprises members drawn from the Borough of Baldwin Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The Stowe Township Police Department also provided assistance in this investigation. 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.