Wythe County Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms Charges

ABINGDON, Va. – Joseph Miles, a Wythe County, Virginia man who conspired to distribute oxycodone and illegally possessed a firearm, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Abingdon to a pair of federal charges, Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced.

Miles, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and one count of illegal possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance. At sentencing, Miles faces up to twenty years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1 million.

According to court documents, from July 2016 through February 2019, Miles, and others, conspired to distribute oxycodone for himself and his father by having Dr. David Lelio write prescriptions in his name that had no legitimate medical purpose and were outside the scope of professional practice, with an agreement that some of the oxycodone pills would be shared with Dr. Lelio’s wife.

Evidence also showed that on February 15, 2019, Miles, while being an unlawful user of an addictive controlled substance, including oxycodone, possessed a firearm.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Lena Busscher is prosecuting the case for the United States.