CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kenneth Burns, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 13 months of incarceration for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Burns, 35, pled guilty in May 2021 to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.” Burns admitted to using a phone to help sell fentanyl, cocaine base, and heroin in March 2020 in Monongalia County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Related press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/seventeen-people-charged-heroin-and-crack-cocaine-distribution-operation
WV Public Corruption Hotline
Call 1-855-WVA-FEDS or Email wvafeds@usdoj.gov if you have information about public corruption in your community.