JOHNSTOWN – A former Clearfield man pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating narcotics laws, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced Monday.
Chad Lawhead, 48, pleaded guilty to a lesser included offense at Count Two of the superseding indictment before Senior U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, from July of 2019 to June of 2020, Lawhead conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Gibson scheduled sentencing for March 15, 2022.The law provides for a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lawhead.
Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States.
OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.