RSS | 
Twitter
| 
Be a fan!
Third man charged in drug case pleads guilty
The last of three men arrested in February 2008 as part of a large-scale drug investigation in the Mon Valley pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to drug and money laundering charges.
Tavius Smith, 30, of 679 Reed Ave., Monessen, pleaded guilty to three counts before Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond.
Rate This Story:
1 the lowest - 5 the highest
Current rating:
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles A. Eberle, Smith, a convicted felon, possessed a Ruger 9 mm pistol, a Taurus .41 magnum revolver, and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun.
Smith was previously convicted on May 9, 2001, of robbery of a motor vehicle in Westmoreland County, and on Sept. 7, 2001, of firearms not to be carried without a license in Washington County.
Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year to possess a firearm.
From 2005 to the time of his arrest, Smith conspired with others to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, said Eberle.
And, on Jan. 5, 2008, Smith "cashed in" more than $15,000 in drug trafficking profits to be used in legal gambling activities at Wheeling (W.Va.) Island casino.
Diamond scheduled sentencing for 10 a.m. Sept. 8. Smith faces a possible sentence of life in prison and a fine of $4.5 million.
Lightfoot pleaded guilty to similar charges in November. He was sentenced in March to 14 years in prison followed by 6 years of supervised release.
Crews pleaded guilty to charges stemming from this case, along with two separate cases, in November. He was sentenced in March to 14 years in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release.
TO MUCH TIME! : 6/10/2009
IT IS A CRYING SHAME TO ME AND TO OTHERS LIKE MYSELF THAT THE SYSTEM SPENDS MORE TIME AND MONEY LOCKING UP DRUG DEALERS THAN THEY DO CHILD MOLESTORS I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY SELLIND SOMETHING TO SOMEBODY THATS CHOOSEING TO BUY IT GETS YOU MORE TIME THAN TAKING THE INNOSENCE AWAY FROM A CHILD WHO CANT HELP HIS OR HER SELF OR FROM A WOMEN THAT DONT WANT TO BE RAPED BUT HAS NO CHOICE SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE SYSTEM GOT ITS PRIORITYS MIXED UP.......
Huh?, Grammar, Spelling, and Caps Lock : 6/10/2009
I don't understand your point. Do you think that the drug-dealing piece of trash in this article is somehow a "better criminal" than a child molester? I think all criminal should pay the price for their actions. Perhaps in the future you should learn how to spell, how to form complete sentences, and how to turn off your Caps Lock key. People tend to ignore other people who shout and use poor grammar.
time : 6/10/2009
I AGREE WITH TO MUCH TIME 100%
re:to much time : 6/10/2009
the reason they get so much time is because its almost like murder, to sell someone drugs you could possilby be killing them, i mean ur not goin to know or not but its almost like murder, now as far as moliester go, NO they do NOT get enough time in jail, a few years and they are out. not fair at all, moliesters should get way more time then they get, but the courts dont see it tht way at all, its terrible that you can rape someone and get a couple years but u sell drugs u get life, it should be the other way around in a way. Now when a moliester goes to jail they have it rough in there, have you ever heard a released rapest story while he/she was behind bars? they do the mnost horrible things to them in the world, im not talkin just getin beat up im talk things goin in places they shouldnt be, its a hard time for them i think thats why they only get so long. not fir they should sit there for life as well. the system of criminal justice sucks, I myself am a criminal justice major and its sooo screwy. its not fair you get ripped off in the end but man its so messed up.
good : 6/30/2009
i totally disagree with to much time. If that drug dealer decides to deal the drugs and make that easy money then he deserves to get that long lengthly prison sentence. The hard working people that goto work every single day and still cant seem to get ahead love it to see these no name drug dealers get locked up. I work for the state and take great pride in what i do and i enjoy every second of it when the task force members lock up these no good people. Lock them all up and really throw away the key.
Got Drugs? : 7/19/2009
Don't you know what DRUGS do to people? They turn people into dark shadows of themselves, and turn their children and families into God-forsaken tradegy. Drug selling, buying, and using is killing our society. The Mon Valley is ridden with users, who abuse their families, especially little children that they have produced. These kids will be screwed up, until the day they die. Dealers, users, guilty doctors, and drug soaked 'brains' should be locked up for life. They refuse rehab, and cost law enforcement mega bucks. That money could be used for CHILDREN. I hope soon, the empty underground prisons (look it up) will be filled with all the druggies, all forms of druggies. Let them ROT! Think: "CHILDREN!"
