Source: United States Department of Justice News
PITTSBURGH – Eugene Phillips pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and to launder drug trafficking proceeds, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Phillips, age 30 of Farrell, Pennsylvania, pled guilty before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing to occur on Dec. 9, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
As part of the factual basis for the guilty plea, the Court was informed that between March and June 2021, while Phillips was detained at the Mercer County Jail with pending state drug trafficking charges, he conspired to distribute crack cocaine and to launder drug trafficking proceeds.
The law provides for a sentence of at least 5 years and up to 60 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is to be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force, the Mercer County Drug Task Force, the New Castle Police Department, the Sharon Police Department, the Hermitage Police Department, and the Farrell Police Department led the investigation resulting in the conviction in this case.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. 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.