PITTSBURGH – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court following his earlier guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, two counts of money laundering, and one count of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
On February 18, 2021, United States District Judge David S. Cercone sentenced Anthony Bentley, a/k/a Poundcake, 45, to four years of imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release. Bentley has been detained since his arrest on August 28, 2018.
In connection with his guilty plea on December 2, 2019, Bentley admitted that between at least May 2015 and continuing until January 2016, he engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving 500 grams or more of powder cocaine, and that on October 20, 2015, he distributed approximately 489 grams of cocaine to a cooperating informant. Bentley further admitted that he laundered the proceeds of his cocaine trafficking through certain financial transactions related to his purchase of real estate in the Pittsburgh area, including a $156,649.01 cashier’s check used to purchase a commercial property on Laketon Road on May 23, 2014, and a $20,000 payment toward the purchase of a residence on Curtis Street on July 8, 2015. Bentley, a previously convicted felon, also admitted to unlawfully possessing weapons and ammunition recovered during the searches of properties he owned or controlled. Recovered firearms included an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle and an M16 fully automatic machinegun.
Pursuant to a written plea agreement, Bentley also accepted responsibility for engaging in money laundering in connection with three additional real estate transactions dating back to 2013, as well as his possession of the machinegun. As part of his sentence, Bentley agreed to forfeit, among other things, various items of jewelry and approximately $218,000 in cash seized during a search of his home. He also agreed to an additional forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $75,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The task force comprises members drawn from federal law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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