Two Plead Guilty To Drug Charges

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania and a former residence of Michigan, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal drug laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Chris Pomaville, 24 and Randall Keith Harries, 27, each pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge David S. Cercone.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that the defendants conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute approximately 1.5 kilograms of methylone, also known as “Molly”, which was imported into the United States from China.

Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for December 22, 2014. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both for each defendant. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Pending sentencing, the court continued Harries on bond.

Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Pomaville and Harries.