CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Joseph Lee Church, 36, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Charleston to possessing various controlled substances with the intent of selling them in the Rand, West Virginia area. Church admitted that a backpack seized from him by Kanawha County Deputy Sheriff Jason Mace on Dec. 10, 2011, in Rand, contained prescription medication and heroin which he intended to sell in the area. The backpack was found to contain heroin, which is a Schedule I controlled substance, as well as various prescription pills, including hydromorphone, amphetamine, oxycodone and hydrocodone, which are Schedule II and III controlled substances.
Church faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine when he is sentenced Aug. 12, 2014. United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston conducted today’s plea hearing.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
