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Press Release

Operation Second Wave Update: Huntington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  Jimmie Lee Coleman, 35, was prosecuted as part of “Operation Second Wave,”  which dismantled a poly-drug network operating in Kanawha and Fayette counties. 

According to court documents, Coleman admitted selling more than a 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine as part of his role in the organization. 

Other defendants, including Carol Belton, Sammy Joe Fragale, Sr., Larry Martin, Rashawn Miller, and Jason Terrell have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Gregory Woods was sentenced to 184 months in federal prison on February 8, 2021.  Sammy Joe Fragale, II, was sentenced on January 6, 2021 to 42 months in federal prison.  Steven Matthew Bumpus, Roger Jarea Drake, and  Tonya Simerly are awaiting court dates to enter guilty pleas.  Craig Redman and Ronald Lee Thomas III are scheduled for trial on June 1, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement.  Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks handled the prosecution.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force (CWVDTF), the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, the Charleston Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) conducted the investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who led the investigation of Sammy Joe Fragale, Sr., and Sammy Joe Fragale II, also prosecuted as part of the Second Wave investigation.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:21-cr-00045 (Miller), 2:20-cr-00153 (Woods), and 2:20-cr-00154 (Terrell et al).

 

 

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Updated April 29, 2021

Topic
Drug Trafficking