PITTSBURGH - A resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to serve 12 years’ imprisonment on his conviction for violating the federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Thomas Poole, age 54, formerly of Pittsburgh, on his conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
According to information presented to the Court, in 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated a wiretap investigation primarily targeting cocaine trafficking in the Western District of Pennsylvania. The wiretap investigation revealed that from in and around August 2016, to on or about Nov. 30, 2017, Poole conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 15 kilograms but less than 50 kilograms of cocaine. The Court was further advised that on Nov. 30, 2017, investigators seized large sums of U.S. Currency and approximately six kilograms of cocaine from residences associated with the defendant.
The Court further ordered that following Poole’s release from incarceration, he be placed on a term of supervised release for a period of five years, and that certain property be forfeited to the United States, including more than $120,000 in U.S. Currency that was recovered by the Drug Enforcement Administration during this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome A. Moschetta and Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Poole.The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
