Jury Finds Gang Leader Guilty of Conspiring to Traffic Heroin

PITTSBURGH—After deliberating for two hours, a federal jury found a North Side gang leader guilty of one count of violating federal narcotics trafficking laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Gregory Washington, 36, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was tried before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab in Pittsburgh.

The evidence presented at trial established that Washington conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin from in or around January 2010 to March 3, 2011.

According to information presented to the court, during 2010 and early 2011, the ATF and the FBI investigated a street gang known as the Manchester OGs. The gang was based in Pittsburgh’s North Side Manchester neighborhood. The investigation included monitoring intercepted communications over telephones used by co-defendant Harold Bacon. Intercepted communications and other investigative steps confirmed that Washington, a/k/a “Joe,” “Run,” and “Rizzy,” was one of the leading members of the gang who was a high-volume heroin source of supply for Bacon and others.

Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for March 12, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of at least 10 years to life in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offense and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; 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 this case.