MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Michael Lynch, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Lynch, 57, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine Base and Cocaine Hydrochloride.” Lynch admitted working with others to distribute cocaine base, also known as “crack,” and cocaine hydrochloride, also known as “coke,” from July 2018 to June 2021 in Jefferson County and elsewhere.
Lynch faces up to 20 years of incarceration and fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police, the DEA Task Force Montgomery County, Maryland; and the Frederick, Maryland, HIDTA group investigated. The EPDTF consists of the West Virginia State Police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Ranson Police Department, the Charles Town Police Department, and the Martinsburg Police Department.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
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