Washington County Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine

PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of Washington, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty and has been sentenced in federal court to 84 months’ imprisonment followed by 4 years of supervised release on his conviction for conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Patrick Ellis, 49, of Washington, Pa.

According to the information presented to the court, in November of 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police began investigation a drug trafficking organization that operated in Washington County, Pennsylvania, of which Ellis was a member. Beginning in April of 2020 and continuing into November of 2020, the FBI received authorization to conduct a Title III wiretap investigation into the organization. Ellis was intercepted discussing the distribution of cocaine. In addition to the intercepted communications, agents seized cocaine, heroin-fentanyl mixtures, firearms, ammunition, bulletproof vests, and bulk United States Currency from members of the organization. They seized approximately two kilograms of cocaine from Ellis.

Assistant United States Attorneys Mark V. Gurzo and Jerome A. Moschetta prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police Drug Law Enforcement Division for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ellis. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.