A federal courtroom in Charleston, West Virginia, delivered cold justice today as two key figures in a sprawling multi-state drug ring were sentenced for flooding communities with methamphetamine and heroin. Amanda Atkinson, 44, of Vienna, and Michael Holley, Jr., 37, of Parkersburg, both admitted their roles in a conspiracy that stretched across state lines and left a trail of addiction and destruction in its wake.
Atkinson was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to using a cellular telephone to facilitate drug trafficking. Her communications helped fuel the network’s operations, linking suppliers to street-level dealers. Holley, Jr. received a far steeper penalty—77 months in prison and four years of supervised release—for distributing between 50 grams and 200 grams of methamphetamine during a five-month spree from February to July 2018.
The sentences are the latest fallout from Project Parkersburg, a long-term, joint federal and local crackdown targeting a dangerous drug trafficking organization (DTO). The operation, led by the FBI, Parkersburg Police Department, Dayton (Ohio) Police, and the Parkersburg Narcotics and Violent Crime Task Force, dismantled a pipeline that pushed 121 pounds of ICE meth, six kilograms of cocaine, 217 grams of heroin, and 478 grams of fentanyl into vulnerable communities.
“Project Parkersburg was an extraordinary law enforcement operation that successfully dismantled a major network of drug traffickers,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Today’s sentencings bring the total number of federal defendants sentenced to 10, with additional defendants still awaiting sentencing. My team is laser-focused on shuttering drug trafficking organizations before any more of our kids and communities fall victim.”
So far, ten defendants have been sentenced in federal court, including Todd Land, Jeffrey Hoyler, Nicholas Easton, T.J. Gibson, Edward Marks, Amy Rake, Marshall Polan, and Troy Pastorino. Four others—Aurelius Edmonds, Terrence McGuirk, Michael Rhodes, and Antoine Terry—are set to face justice later this year. All were charged as part of the sweeping takedown that began in 2018 under Case No. 18-CR-00225.
U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger handed down the sentences. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Hanks and Jeremy Wolfe prosecuted the case. Court documents and further details are available via PACER. The full press release is posted on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia website. Follow updates at @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart.
Related Federal Cases
- Huntington Drug Ring Leader Corey Toney Gets 10 Years · West Virginia
- Huntington Man Copped to Drug Ring Role · Virginia
- Parkersburg Man Gets 30 Months for Multi-State Drug Ring · West Virginia
- Atari Seantay Brown Leads Heroin Ring Across State Lines · Michigan
- Charleston Man Gets 18 Months in Heroin Ring · Michigan
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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