Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court for violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Mark Fisher, 40, pleaded guilty on March 6, 2019, to one count before United States District Judge David Stewart Cercone.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from in and around April 2016, and continuing thereafter to in and around October 2016, Fisher conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack. During his plea colloquy, the defendant admitted that he obtained crack from a co-defendant on numerous occasions during the period of the conspiracy, and that on one occasion, he fled his vehicle, leaving five grams of crack on the floor, when law enforcement initiated a traffic stop.

With his guilty plea, the defendant is the last of nine co-defendants to admit guilt in connection with the Indictment returned on August 1, 2017.

Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2019, at 1 p.m. The law provides for a term of imprisonment of not less than 5 and not more than 40 years, a fine not to exceed $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

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.