MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - A federal jury returned a guilty verdict yesterday convicting Francisco Gaspar Sanchez, 56, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, of methamphetamine trafficking, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Evidence presented at trial indicated that Sanchez conspired with another individual to sell crystal methamphetamine in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Specifically, Sanchez was discovered in possession of methamphetamine in Jefferson County in April 2014.
Following a two day trial, a jury found Sanchez guilty of one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine," and one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine." He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 on each of the two counts. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Camilletti and Anna Krasinski, along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher, also of the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The West Virginia State Police and the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
