BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – In a stunning turn of events, Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez, 24, from Chicago, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison. Today’s court proceeding also saw Gamalier Rivera, 33, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, sentenced to three years of federal probation, including two months on home detention.
Gonzalez and Rivera each admitted to their roles in separate schemes to deliver contraband into Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell using drones. Court documents revealed that Gonzalez traveled to McDowell County with co-defendants Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno and Arturo Joel Gallegos, where they were apprehended with a backpack containing a drone and packages of cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco.
On February 9, 2024, correctional officers at FCI McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison. Tracing the flight path led to Rivera and co-defendants Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles. The drone, its remote controller, and contraband were seized.
Gonzalez is scheduled for sentencing on November 3, 2025, facing a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Aleman-Piceno pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, with his sentencing set for September 8, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the plea and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings, with Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuting the cases.
For more information and related court documents, visit the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia or search PACER for Case No. 1:24-cr-126 (Gonzalez) and 1:24-cr-127.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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