William S. Thompson U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia
Leondus Whittenburg, a 42-year-old resident of Beckley, West Virginia, has entered a guilty plea to the charge of distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine. The plea was made in court today.
Court documents reveal that on December 6, 2023, Whittenburg sold 320 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a parking lot near Eisenhower Drive in Beckley. He is scheduled for sentencing on July 3, 2025. Whittenburg faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and could receive up to 40 years in prison. Additionally, he may be subject to at least four years of supervised release and a fine amounting to $5 million.
John Gray, aged 39 from Oak Hill and co-defendant in the case, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2024, for distributing an unspecified quantity of methamphetamine. Gray is currently awaiting sentencing.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston who praised the investigative efforts carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over today's hearing. The prosecution team includes Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew D. Isabell and Brian D. Parsons.
Further details about this case can be accessed through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia's website or by searching Case No. 5:24-cr-31 on PACER.
