Former Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking Ring

 PITTSBURGH - A former resident of the Beltzhoover neighborhood in Pittsburgh, has been sentenced in federal court to two years’ probation and 100 hours of community service on her conviction of a drug trafficking charge in connection with a large-scale investigation conducted by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV, imposed the sentence on Amber Rogers, age 28, of North Carolina.

According to information presented to the court, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force conducted an investigation targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or "DS44", neighborhood gang, and its drug-trafficking activity, in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, in February 2019, the United States received authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation, which continued through June 2019.

Intercepted communications confirmed that Ms. Rogers was conspiring with others to distribute controlled substances, including heroin and fentanyl, in and around the South Side of Pittsburgh. Specifically, Ms. Rogers conducted narcotics transactions on behalf of other members of the conspiracy by obtaining the drugs from stash locations and distributing them to individual customers. The Court has earlier accepted Ms. Rogers’ guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute 10 grams of heroin and fentanyl.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that he was imposing a term of probation, rather than imprisonment, because, among other things, Rodgers was one of the least culpable of the defendants charged in the case, because she had no criminal history, and because she was lawfully employed.

Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rogers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Other assisting agencies include the Green Tree Police Department, New York City Police Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Yonkers Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.