All USAO Press Releases

Jose Rivera, 37, of Queens, New York, was sentenced to 70 months for his role in a drug trafficking organization in Berkeley County. According to court documents and statements made in court, Rivera was one of the conspirators of the drug trafficking operation selling large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. 

John Felix Cathell, III, age 55, of French Creek, West Virginia, has admitted to the unlawful possession of a firearm. According to court documents, officers were called to a shooting at a home. 

Antonio D. Moncrief, 35, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 71 months in prison for selling fentanyl in Ohio County.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Moncrief, also known as “Tone,” was selling fentanyl on Wheeling Island.

Francisco Ortiz, age 50, the former chief operating officer of a Morgantown medical practice, was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison for bank fraud. According to court documents and statements made in court, Ortiz, of Vacaville, California, defrauded Wedgewood Physicians, Inc. by diverting more than $650,000 for his own benefit.

Lester Luna, 30, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has admitted his role in a drug trafficking organization in Berkeley County. According to court documents, Luna was one of the members of the drug trafficking conspiracy that sold large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

Vincent Irving Jones, 33, of Fairmont, West Virginia, has admitted to the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and the unlawful possession of a firearm. According to the court documents, Jones possessed a quantity of methamphetamine in Marion County which he intended to unlawfully distribute, as well as a firearm. 

Burlin Junior Howell, 60, of Elkins, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. According to court documents, Howell sold methamphetamine in Randolph County. 

Law enforcement from across the Northern District of West Virginia will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard encourages residents to use this opportunity to rid their homes of unused and unneeded prescription medications, reducing the risk of misuse.

Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, 52, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has admitted to leading a drug trafficking organization that sold large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Berkeley County. According to court documents and statements made in court, Luna Mota, also known as “Papi,” was one of the leaders of the drug trafficking conspiracy, using his business located in Hagerstown, Maryland, as a central hub for the drug sales. 

Todd Matthew Houston, 36, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for to conspiring to straw purchase firearms. According to court documents and statements made in court, officers were called to a home in Morgantown on a domestic violence incident involving Houston and a firearm. 

Nelson Cortes, age 50, of Beverly, West Virginia, has admitted to the distribution of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Cortes was selling methamphetamine, sometimes from his home.

William Durnal, 60, of Elkins, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 100 months in federal prison for methamphetamine possession and distribution. According to court documents and statements made in court, Durnal was part of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in Morgantown, West Virginia.