MARTINSBURG, WV—Robert Shanley-Sexton, 23, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and James R. Dove, 30, of Keyser, West Virginia, were convicted in federal court for their role in a multi-state heroin trafficking operation, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.

The defendants were among 41 defendants named in a 163-count federal heroin trafficking indictment in June 2015. The indictment stemmed from a drug trafficking scheme in which heroin was transported across state lines from Baltimore, Maryland into surrounding states, including West Virginia.

Shanley-Sexton pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin.” He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Dove pled guilty to one count of “Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering.” He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Krasinski and Paul Camilletti prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the inquiry.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.