Federal Inmate Sentenced to 15 More Months for Conspiring to Distribute K2 Controlled Substances

 PITTSBURGH – Brandon Massie was sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiring to distribute K2 controlled substances (Schedule I synthetic cannabinoids) while serving a federal prison sentence in 2017, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Massie, age 35, formerly of Pittsburgh, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Judge Ranjan directed that the prison sentence be served consecutively to the prison sentence Massie was serving at the time of the crime. Judge Ranjan also directed that Massie serve six years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Massie was incarcerated at the federal prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania, when he conspired to distribute K2 controlled substances (Schedule I synthetic cannabinoids). He was serving a prison sentence at that time for conspiring to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General led the multi-agency investigation that also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

This case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program, known as OCDETF. OCDETF was established in 1982 to support comprehensive investigations and prosecutions of major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. It is the keystone of the drug reduction strategy of the Department of Justice. By combining the resources and expertise of federal agencies and their state and local law enforcement partners, OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the most serious drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational criminal organizations.