Seven Individuals Sentenced in Federal Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 05, 2012 |
MARTINSBURG, WV—Seven individuals were sentenced on December 3, 2012, in United States District Court in Martinsburg by Judge Gina M. Groh.
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced that:
David F. Brackett, Jr., a 63-year old Shepherdstown, West Virginia, resident was sentenced to 282 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Brackett entered pleas of guilty on August 27, 2012, to wire fraud and money laundering from January 2002 to March 2011 in West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. Brackett devised a scheme to defraud by obtaining “loan” money from victims and falsely promising to repay the victims with substantial lottery winnings that Brackett had never won. Brackett also fraudulently obtained money by making materially false statements about his assets and expected profitability of his business ventures. In total, Brackett fraudulently obtained over $5.5 million from his victims and laundered his money through a variety of bank transactions involving different banks and accounts. Brackett was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending designation to a federal institution.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew R. Cogar and investigated by the Internal Revenue Service.
William Thomas Gardner, age 45, of Martinsburg, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gardner entered a plea of guilty on August 7, 2012, to distribution of heroin in Martinsburg. Gardner was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending designation to a federal institution.
Mark Lewis King, age 34, of Martinsburg, was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 12 years of supervised release. King entered a plea of guilty on August 1, 2012, to distribution of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school in Martinsburg. King was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending designation to a Federal institution.
Michael Pierre Christian, age 35, of Martinsburg, was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Christian entered a plea of guilty on August 1, 2012, to distribution of crack cocaine. Christian, who is free on bond, will self-report to the designated federal institution.
These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas O. Mucklow and investigated by the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, consisting of officers from the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Martinsburg Police Department, and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department.
Matthew Early Thomas, age 34, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, and formerly of Waco, Texas, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Thomas entered a plea of guilty on August 7, 2012, to felon in possession of a firearm. Thomas, who had been indicted in the Western District of Texas on February 11, 2003, was arrested in Charles Town on June 18, 2012, after police answered a complaint that people were driving around shooting from a car and Thomas admitted to possessing and shooting the firearm. Thomas then agreed to proceed with his case in the Northern District of West Virginia where he is currently residing. Thomas, who is free on bond, will self-report to the designated federal institution.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul T. Camilletti and investigated by the Waco, Texas Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Crystal Star Metz, age 40, of Piedmont, West Virginia, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release. Metz entered a plea of guilty on September 4, 2012, to distribution of crack cocaine on June 18, 2012, in Mineral County, West Virginia. Metz, who has a prior drug conviction in the Northern District of West Virginia, was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation to a federal institution.
Ashley Rose Brown, age 36, of Martinsburg, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release. Brown entered a plea of guilty on June 30, 2011, to distribution of crack cocaine in Martinsburg. Brown, who is free on bond will self-report to the designated federal institution.
These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas O. Mucklow and investigated by the Potomac Highlands Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, consisting of officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations.