U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced the sentencing of Justin Whitfield, a 25-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, to 77 months in prison. Whitfield was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of over 50 grams of methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti stated that the investigation into this drug trafficking operation began in April 2019 and focused on activities involving heroin/fentanyl and methamphetamine in Jamestown, New York. Whitfield was identified as an associate and co-conspirator with Rocco Beardsley, his cousin, who led the operation in Jamestown. Beardsley relied on a methamphetamine supplier based in Cincinnati, introduced by Whitfield. Social media platforms were used by Whitfield for conducting drug-related conversations and facilitating his trafficking activities.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at identifying, disrupting, and dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach involving multiple agencies.
The investigation leading to Whitfield's sentencing involved collaboration between the Jamestown Police Department and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force under Chief Timothy Jackson; the Drug Enforcement Administration led by Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III; and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office directed by Sheriff James Quattrone.