Thirteen Charged in Multi-Agency Wiretap Investigation Led by FBI and DEA
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 16, 2014 |
PITTSBURGH—A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted 13 individuals in four separate, but related, indictments resulting from a multi-agency wiretap investigation, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today. All the indictments were returned on January 14 and unsealed today.
The first indictment, containing five counts, charges the following defendants with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin from September 2013 to December 2013. The indictment also charges certain of the defendants with firearms offenses, as well as specific distributions and/or possessions with intent to distribute quantities of heroin.
- Fredrick Mack, 43, of Munhall, Pennsylvania
- Christopher Boyd, 36, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Jalaspian L. Charles, 45, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Henry Freeman, 45, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Felix Manuel Cespedes Gomez, 32, of Brooklyn, New York
- Dwight Hester, 44, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Tonya Demitria Kendrick, 44, of Rankin, Pennsylvania
- Royance Godfrey Lambert, 48, of Brooklyn, New York
- Robert Schatzman, 43, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Allen William Turner, 45, of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The second indictment charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of powder cocaine and 28 grams or more of crack cocaine from September 2013 to December 2013.
- Christopher Boyd, 36, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Dwight Hester, 44, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Fredrick Mack, 43, of Munhall, Pennsylvania
- Allen William Turner, 45, of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Harold C. Young, 39, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The third indictment contains two counts and charges Royance Godfrey, 48, of Brooklyn, New York, and John R. Johnson, 36, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Count one charges both defendants with a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in October 2013. Count two charges only Johnson with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine on or about October 6, 2013.
The final indictment contains two counts and charges Guy Amatangelo, 41, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as sole defendant. Amatangelo is charged with a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine in September and October 2013, and he is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime on or about October 5, 2013.
According to information that has been filed with the court, beginning in September 2013 and continuing until December 2013, federal agents received authorization to intercept wire (voice calls) and electronic (text message) communications on four different cellular telephones. As a result of those wiretap intercepts, agents learned that a group of individuals was traveling to Brooklyn, New York, on a regular basis to obtain quantities of heroin and cocaine for distribution in the greater Pittsburgh area. The four indictments are a result of that wiretap investigation.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence for the various charges ranging from 20 years to life in prison and fines ranging from $1,000,000 to $8,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses, and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Troy Rivetti and Jonathan Ortiz are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is the result of a federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Other participating agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Munhall Police Department, and Wilkinsburg Police Department.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.