4 Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Refusing to Testify during Heroin Trial

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Newark, New Jersey and three residents of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, each have been sentenced in federal court to nine months of incarceration and three years of supervised release on their convictions for Contempt of Court, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.

United States District Judge Reggie B. Walton imposed the sentence on Khayri Battle, 36, of Newark, New Jersey, Shane Brooks, 30, Victoria Morgan, 32, and Bobby Rodgers, 48, all of Duquesne, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, Battle, Brooks, Morgan and Rodgers refused to testify at the trial of Anthony Pryor and Lance Yarbough, for charges that included conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin, despite a written order compelling them to testify pursuant to a grant of immunity from United States District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton. .

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Song commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Battle, Brooks, Morgan and Rodgers.