Erie Gang Member Sentenced to Prison for Selling Crack Cocaine

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 26 months in federal prison on his conviction of violating federal drug laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Paris Xavier Boyd, 29.

According to information presented to the court, the FBI’s Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE), Safe Streets task force conducted an investigation into the drug dealing and violent crime activity of members of a local gang identifying itself as "1800". The court was advised that court authorized intercepts of telephone communications between members of the group and others revealed Boyd selling crack cocaine in the Erie area. The court was advised that Boyd took over the role as the crack cocaine distributor when another member of the group was arrested after shooting at rival gang members in Erie. Boyd pleaded guilty to conspiring with his co-defendants to possess with intent to distribute and distribute the crack cocaine.

Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the EAGLE task force, which is comprised of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and the Erie Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Boyd. The Erie County District Attorney’s County Detectives Bureau also assisted in the investigation.