Defendant in sting targeting dark web sales sentenced to mandatory 10 years
GREENFIELD – A Greenfield man who mailed fake oxycodone pills made with fentanyl to undercover federal agents in Kansas City, Kansas, will serve a minimum of 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty today to five charges in relation to the scheme.
Jeremiah McLenithan, 42, 25 Laurel St., Greenfield, pleaded guilty to Franklin Superior Court charges of trafficking in cocaine greater than 100 grams; trafficking in fentanyl greater than 10 grams; unlawful possession of ammunition being as an armed career criminal; two counts of possession of a firearm without a license as an armed career criminal
“This prosecution targeted a career criminal who was selling poison for profit without regard for the lives and safety of those who were buying it or where it was ending up,” said Northwestern Assistant District Attorney and Chief Trial Counsel Jeremy Bucci, who prosecuted the case.
“When criminals use the online marketplace to sell dangerous counterfeit versions of FDA-approved prescription drugs, they jeopardize the public’s health,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead, of the Kansas City Field Office of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations
In sentencing McLenithan to a total of 13-15 years in state prison, 10 years of which is a mandatory, Franklin Superior Court Judge John Agostini adopted the joint sentencing recommendation from ADA Bucci and defense counsel David Rountree.
The 10-year minimum is the result of McLenithan’s possession of a firearm and ammunition with two or more previous convictions for violent crimes or serious drug offenses. As part of the plea agreement, the Commonwealth dropped two counts of possession of a firearm while committing a felony.
ADA Bucci outlined the case in court this way: After federal agents with the Food and Drug Administration in Kansas City received in the mail fake pills from a transaction on the dark web, investigators traced the pills back to locations that included McLenithan’s residence in Franklin County.
Based on that investigation, on June 11, 2019, FDA agents working alongside local police and members of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Anti-Crime Task Force executed a search warrant at McLenithan’s home, which resulted in the seizure of $12,000 worth of cocaine and fentanyl, the collection of $102,410 in cash, 117 grams of cocaine, 15 grams of fentanyl mixed with heroin, several other types of pills as well as two handguns and a large amount of ammunition. Also collected were drug ledgers and passwords for dark web markets, a pill grinder, fake identification cards, shipping labels, scales and packaging supplies for mailing as well as phones and boxes containing cocaine and heroin purity tests.
“We believe the 13-15 year sentence in this case reflects our continued commitment to prioritize the prosecution of drug traffickers who choose to arm themselves,” said Bucci. “We are grateful to our federal partners at the Food and Drug Administration and at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas for their work and help at every stage of this investigation and prosecution.”
“Too many Americans have been impacted by the serious harms associated with prescription opioids. The FDA works to decrease the supply of these drugs to illicit markets,” said Special Agent in Charge Grinstead. “We will continue to monitor, investigate and bring to justice those who mistakenly believe that they can remain anonymous and out of reach of the law when they sell their illicit products online.”