Detroit Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. - Jesse Robert Phillips, 40, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to nine years and seven months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 30, 2024, law enforcement officers responded to a disturbance call at a Mount Hope, West Virginia, residence where Phillips was living at the time. Officers seized four firearms and two bags containing a total of 19.896 grams of fentanyl analogue from Phillips' bedroom at the residence.

As part of his guilty plea, Phillips admitted that he possessed the seized fentanyl, and that he intended to distribute it. Phillips further admitted that he had been selling fentanyl and used two other occupants of the residence, Robert Lee Moran and Kayla Nicole Dent, to sell fentanyl while he was living in West Virginia.

Moran, 47, of Mount Hope, was sentenced on June 3, 2025, to nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl. Dent, 34, of Mount Hope, was sentenced to five years of federal probation, including six months on home detention, after pleading guilty on January 29, 2025, to distribution of fentanyl.

Phillips has a criminal history that includes prior convictions for armed robbery and multiple drug offenses.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department, and the Beckley Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Brian D. Parsons and Alexander A. Redmon prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-142.

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