Butler County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Multiple Bricks of Fentanyl

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has pled guilty on a charge of possessing 10 grams or more of a mixture containing fluorofentanyl and fentanyl, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced this week.

Gerry Lee Kendall, age 41, pleaded guilty before Senior District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on June 6, 2021, an officer with the Duquesne Police Department observed Gerry Lee Kendall exit Truman Towers, a known high-drug trafficking area. The officer observed Kendall enter the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle, which then committed several traffic violations. Subsequently, the officer conducted a traffic stop. While speaking with the driver, Kendall repeatedly asked why they were stopped and appeared to be shaking. When asked about where they were coming from, Kendall was unable to provide the last name of the person he met at Truman Towers or the apartment number. Subsequently, the officer asked the driver and Kendall to step out of the vehicle. When the officer asked Kendall whether he had any weapons on him, Kendall tried reaching for his pocket. When the officer instructed Kendall not to reach for his pocket, Kendall placed his hand into his pocket. For officer safety, the officer pulled Kendall’s hand from his pocket, and 4 “bricks” fell out of the pocket with Kendall’s hand. A “brick” is typically comprised of 50 glassine bags containing heroin and/or fentanyl. The officer arrested Kendall and searched him incident to arrest, which resulted in the seizure of an additional 16 bricks, $1,773.00, and a cellular phone. A search warrant executed upon the phone revealed texts that showed Kendall’s prior distributions of controlled substances.

Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for 9:30 am on March 1, 2023. The law provides for a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and a maximum of 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of at least four years and/or a special assessment of $100. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the court continued Kendall on bond.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Duquesne Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Gerry Lee Kendall.