Wampum Man Among Twelve Indicted For Drug Trafficking

According to a press release made available by United States Attorney Scott W. Brady on Thursday, 47-year-old Michael Turner, of Wampum, PA, is among twelve defendants who have been charged with drug trafficking following a months-long wiretap investigation into narcotics trafficking in the City of Pittsburgh and greater Allegheny County region.

This Indictment is related to a larger investigation into the narcotics trafficking activities of the “11 Hunnit” neighborhood street gang operating in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh and beyond. A total of 22 defendants have been charged in four separate, but related, indictments stemming from this investigation.

“Every citizen in western Pennsylvania deserves to live in a community free from the violence and devastation created by drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Brady. “For too long, the “11 Hunnit” gang has terrorized the law-abiding residents of the City of Pittsburgh and the Hill District. Through the four indictments of 22 members and associates of “11 Hunnit,” we have effectively dismantled this gang and its grip on our city.”

The Indictment, returned on June 15 and unsealed today, charges the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms grams or more of cocaine, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until in and around June 2020:

• Donald Epps, age 65, of New Kensington, PA;
• Michael Glenn, age 57, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Michael Turner, age 47, of Wampum, PA;
• Gary Wilkinson, age 56, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Dion Williams, age 44, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Ivan Upsher, age 58, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Gerald Bogan Jr., age 39, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Charles King, age 57, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Jeffrey Brown, age 50, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Michael Jones, age 69, of Monessen, PA.

The Indictment additionally charges Defendant Glenn and the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (in the form commonly known as “crack”) in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until February 2020:

• Timothy Harris, age 57, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Giles Davis, age 60, of Pittsburgh, PA.

With respect to Defendants Epps, Glenn, Turner, Wilkinson, Williams, Upsher, Bogan, King Brown, and Jones, each of whom is charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both. With respect to Defendants Glenn, Harris and Davis, each of whom is charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (Bureau of Narcotics Investigations) led the multi-agency investigation that also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. This Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty