MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Philadelphia man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a multi-state drug enterprise.
The U.S. Attorney’s office reports Dominic Asquith, age 39, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 105 months in federal prison for his role in a drug racketeering enterprise that had reach into Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Delaware.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Asquith worked for a multi-state organized drug trafficking business dubbed the “19th Street Enterprise.” During the investigation, Asquith was arrested in Maryland on the property of a home that the enterprise targeted for a robbery. He was found with a backpack containing rope, a mask, and two cell phone jamming devices used to disable cell phones.
The Philadelphia-based enterprise sold drugs, committed acts of violence, laundered money, and committed fraud.
Asquith will be required to be on three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
A press release from the The U.S. Attorney’s office says Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the West Virginia State Police; the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the West Virginia Air National Guard investigated. The Eastern District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office assisted.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
