Thirty-Eight Charged in Three Separate Drug Trafficking Conspiracies

PITTSBURGH—Thirty-eight individuals have been charged in three separate indictments with violating federal narcotics trafficking and firearms laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton and other law enforcement officials announced today.

“We want to advise violent criminals who tyrannize the neighborhoods and towns in our district that we know who you are; we are coming for you, and it is only a matter of when not if we catch you and disrupt and prosecute your criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Hickton.

A five-count indictment, returned on Feb. 15, 2011, and unsealed today, charges 11 Allegheny County residents with drug and gun law violations. The indictment names:

• Harold Bacon, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Andre Allen, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Marcus Allen, 26, incarcerated at SCI Pittsburgh;
• Clayton Bonner, 50, Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Samuel Crawford, 21, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Dawn Freeman, 40, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Kalan Jones, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Denorris Mahone, III, 19, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Clarence Thompson, 54, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Richard Wagner,26, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and
• Gregory Washington, 34, of Pa., as the defendants.

According to the indictment, from January 2010, to February 2011, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the defendants conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. In addition, the indictment charges Bacon and Mahone, III with distributing and/or possessing heroin with intent to distribute it. The indictment also charges Bacon with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

In a separate but related indictment, 19 Allegheny County residents and one resident of Wilmington, Del., were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for violating federal narcotics trafficking and firearms laws. The 16-count indictment, returned on Feb. 15, 2011, and unsealed today, names:

• Jeremiah Manghan, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Andre Allen, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Devon Baskin, 25, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Keenan Black, 30, of Wilmington, Del.;
• Clayton Bonner, 50, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• John Burton, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pa,;
• Randale Chapman, 23, incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail;
• Daniel Coker, 22, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Eric Durah, 34, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• James Ellis, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Robert Good, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Lamont Hunter, 36, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Sondra Hunter, 35, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Robert Jennings, 25, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Chawna Manghan, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Jordan McKoy, 19, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Deron Nixon, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Nico Nixon, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• David White, 21, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and
• Marcus Williams, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pa., as the defendants.

According to the indictment, from August 2010, to February 2011, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, 17 of the 20 defendants conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. In addition, the indictment charges Chawna Manghan with maintaining a drug‑involved premises, and Jeremiah Manghan, Marcus Williams, Devon Baskin, Deron Nixon, Randale Chapman, Keenan Black, and Sondra Hunter with distributing and/or possessing heroin with intent to distribute. The indictment also charges Devon Baskin, Deron Nixon, Randale Chapman, and Keenan Black with possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; Eric Durah, Devon Baskin, Randale Chapman, and Keenan Black with possessing firearms after felony convictions; and Jeremiah Manghan with receiving a firearm while under indictment for a felony crime.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000 for engaging in the heroin conspiracy charged in the indictment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal histories, if any, of the defendants.

Finally, eight residents of Pennsylvania and one resident of Farmington Hills, Michigan, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal drug laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The one-count indictment, returned on March 1, 2011, and unsealed today, names:

• James Theodore Green a/k/a Stacks, 28, of Penn Hills, Pa.;
• Terrald Bennett a/k/a Bevy, 29, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Richard Eugene Hutson a/k/a Old Head, 45, of Farmington Hills, MI;
• Robert S. Vaughns a/k/a Turk, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Bonita Bey a/k/a Khadijah a/k/a BoBo, 24, of Penn Hills, Pa.;
• Brandon Massie a/k/a Slimmy, 25, of McKees Rocks, Pa.;
• Jose Hidalgo-Mendoza, 51, of Lemoyne, Pa.;
• Michelle Jimenez, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa; and
• Tyson Barron, 24, of Swissvale, Pa.

According to the indictment, from on or about June 9, 2009, and continuing thereafter to in and around February 2011, Green, Bennett, Hutson, Vaughns, Bey, Massie, Hidalgo-Mendoza, Jimenez, and Barron conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years to life in prison, a fine of $4,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorneys Craig W. Haller and Gregory J. Nescott are prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pittsburgh Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Ross Township Police Department, the Canonsburg Police Department, and the Allegheny County Police Department investigated the cases of US v. Bacon et al. and U.S. v. Manghan et al.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in the case of U.S. v. Green et al.

An indictment or information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.