MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Joseph Tyree Ryles, of Baltimore, Maryland, was indicted on drug and firearms charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Ryles, age 29, was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm," one count of “Distribution of Controlled Substance," and one count of “Possession of a Firearm in Futherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime." Ryles, having previously been convicted of crimes in the Circuit Court of Baltimore City, Maryland, is accused of illegally possessing a 9mm pistol and a.40 caliber pistol, and is also accused of exchanging said firearms for heroin in August 2015 in Jefferson County.
Ryles faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for unlawful possession count, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the furtherance count, and faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the heroin count. 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. Attorney Kimberley D. Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
