Repeat Offender Receives Prison Sentence in Fentanyl Trafficking Case

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - A Clarksburg man with a long record of prior convictions will serve 33 months in federal prison after admitting to distributing fentanyl and p-Fluorofentanyl, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced today.

William Joseph Russell, 52, turned his home into a hub for fentanyl sales, repeatedly supplying the drugs to a confidential informant during the investigation. Russell's criminal history spans drug offenses, firearms violations, domestic battery, and financial fraud, underscoring a pattern of illegal conduct.

Following his prison term, Russell will serve 3 years of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.

Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.