Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Crack Cocaine

HUNTINGTON, WV—Kenneth E. Pertillo, 27, of Macon, Georgia, pled guilty before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base. The conviction stems from a traffic stop conducted by a Huntington police officer at the 2200 block of Artisan Avenue on June 12, 2009. Officers seized eight small bags containing crack cocaine that Pertillo, also known as “Kid,” had removed from his person. Pertillo, who is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2011, faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million

Pertillo was initially charged as part of an eight-year conspiracy involving a number of men from the Macon, Georgia area who relocated to Huntington primarily to sell cocaine base upon learning of the potential for higher profits from dealing crack in Cabell County. Others previously sentenced for their roles in the drug conspiracy include: Charles “Goldie” Williams—136 months in prison; Nekoase “Shadow or Fly” Vinson—168 months in prison; and Thomaas “30” Redding—69 months in prison. A fourth defendant, Antonio “T.O.” Whitehead, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20, 2010 .

The investigation was conducted through cooperation by the Huntington Drug and Violent Crime Task Force; Huntington Police Department; West Virginia State Police and its Forensic Laboratory; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Lawrence County (Ohio) Drug Task Force; Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation; Cabell County Sheriff’s Department; and the Drug Enforcement Administration.