CHARLESTON, W.Va. - William Edward Richmond, 31, of Charleston, West Virginia, was sentenced to federal prison today for selling cocaine base, also known as “crack" on Charleston’s West Side, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. On June 6, 7, and 11, of 2013, drug investigators used an informant to buy crack from Richmond near the intersection of Park and Central Avenues in Charleston. Richmond pleaded guilty in December of 2013 to the drug distribution charges. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. sentenced Richmond to 48 months imprisonment, 30 months for the crack distribution, and an additional 18 months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
The case was prosecuted as part of the Charleston area’s Drug Market Intervention (DMI) initiative. The DMI initiative was launched in February 2012 by Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster and U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, in collaboration with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as leaders representing several West Side community organizations. The DMI initiative was initiated in Charleston as a strategic problem-solving effort aimed at closing down open-air drug markets that breed crimes of violence and disorder. The Charleston Police Department Special Enforcement Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
