us attorney scott brady

Beaver Falls Man Admits to Drug Offenses

PITTSBURGH, PA– A former resident of Beaver County, PA, pleaded guilty in federal court to violations of the federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced this week. Brandon Quinn, 33, formerly of Beaver Falls, PA, pleaded guilty to a two-count Indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and with possessing 28 grams or more of cocaine base with the intent to distribute it, before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Quinn’s criminal conduct was uncovered during a Title…


Convicted Beaver County Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal Cocaine Trafficking Charge

PITTSBURGH – Harold Novick pled guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine between 2017 and 2019, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Novick, age 40, formerly a resident of Beaver County, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing to occur on May 24, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. Novick was on state parole for a prior cocaine-trafficking conviction when he committed the additional drug-trafficking crime to which he pled guilty. The law provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal…


Portersville Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Portersville, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to time served followed by three years’ supervised release on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced on Thursday. Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Ray Chrzanowski, age 53. According to information presented to the court, in 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated a wiretap investigation, primarily targeting the GBK street gang and drug trafficking in and around…


Cameroonian Operator Charged In Fradulant Online “Puppy Scam” That Exploited The COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh charges Desmond Fodje Bobga for his alleged involvement in a puppy fraud scheme perpetrated against American consumers, including a New Brighton woman. Fodje Bobga, 27, is a citizen of Cameroon who is in Romania on a visa to attend a university there. He is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, forging a seal of the U.S. Supreme Court, and aggravated identity theft. Fodje Bobga has been arrested. A website that was used in the online puppy fraud scheme, www.lovelyhappypuppy.com, is already deleted. Acting Assistant Attorney…


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…


Western Pennsylvania COVID-19 Fraud Task Force Announced

PITTSBURGH – Scott W. Brady, United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the formation of a joint federal and state Western Pennsylvania COVID-19 Fraud Task Force to investigate and prosecute coronavirus-related fraud. The Western Pennsylvania COVID-19 Fraud Task Force will bring together federal and state investigative agencies and prosecutors to receive public information on myriad scams being perpetrated on-line and in-person by scammers seeking to exploit the evolving coronavirus public health crisis. The Task Force will marshal the collective investigative power of our federal and state law enforcement agencies by…


New Castle Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine-Related Drug Charges

PITTSBURGH – A former resident of New Castle, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Wesley Cox, also known as Michael Deshawn Carter, age 38, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from 2017 through May 2019, Cox participated in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack. Judge Horan scheduled sentencing…


Project Safe Initiatives Nab Two Beaver County Arrests

Project Safe Childhood (PSC) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), both nationwide initiatives of the Department of Justice to combat child exploitation and violent crime have recently nabbed two arrests in Beaver County according to United States Attorney Scott W. Brady. A resident of Freedom, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months’ imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release on his conviction of possession of child pornography and materials depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced this week. United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Adam Hosie,…


Ellwood City Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 15 years (180 months) in prison and six years of supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Taurean Potter, age 34, of Ellwood City Pennsylvania. According to information presented to the court during his trial, Potter sold cocaine out of Ellwood City bars in 2017 and 2018, and he sold cocaine to other cocaine dealers who would further…


Ellwood City Felon Sentenced to 12½ Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Offenses

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 150 months imprisonment and 5 years supervised release on his conviction of violating federal firearms and narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Senior United States District Judge Reggie B. Walton imposed the sentence on Derick Davare, age 32. According to information presented to the court, from in and around 2015, and continuing thereafter to on or about October 22, 2018, Derick Davare conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, a Schedule…