Johnson county man pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine

PIKEVILLE, KY. – Sean Tharp, 36, of Hager Hill, Ky., pleaded guilty in federal court Monday, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward B. Atkins, for his role in conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

According to his plea agreement, between April 2020 and September 2020, Tharp conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Tharp admitted that he developed a relationship with a supplier of methamphetamine outside of Kentucky, from whom he obtained pound quantities of methamphetamine on multiple occasions. Tharp admitted to traveling to Georgia to obtain the methamphetamine, which he brought back to the Johnson County area to sell. In his plea agreement, Tharp admitted that his conspiracy involved 1.5 to 5 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Tharp was indicted in September 2020.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jeffrey Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Louisville Field Division; and Sheriff Doug Saylor, Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Johnson County Sheriff’s Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Trimble.

A date for Tharp’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. Tharp faces a minimum sentence of ten years in prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.

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