Joseph Ivan Burt, Cocaine Trafficking, West Virginia 2017

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A cocaine trafficking ring operating in Belmont County has been charged with multiple federal crimes, according to a recent indictment.

Joseph Ivan Burt, age 39, and Faith Diane Leasure, age 22, both of Bridgeport, Ohio, were arrested today after being indicted on drug charges by a federal grand jury in Wheeling on June 6, 2017, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.

The indictment charges Burt with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine,” one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Crack Cocaine,” one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine,” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.” Burt is also facing one count of “Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school,” one count of “Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility,” and an additional count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.”

Leasure is charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Crack Cocaine.”

Also named in the indictment is Phillip Weir, of Bridgeport, Ohio, age 32. Weir is charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine,” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.”

The crimes are alleged to have occurred from August to September of 2016 in Ohio County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drugs & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, is investigating.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mandatory Facts: Joseph Ivan Burt, 39, Faith Diane Leasure, 22, and Phillip Weir, 32, all of Bridgeport, Ohio, are charged with multiple federal crimes. The crimes allegedly occurred from August to September of 2016 in Ohio County. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri is prosecuting the case, and the Ohio Valley Drugs & Violent Crime Task Force is investigating.

Exact Charges: Joseph Ivan Burt is charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine,” one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Crack Cocaine,” one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine,” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.” Burt is also facing one count of “Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school,” one count of “Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility,” and an additional count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.” Faith Diane Leasure is charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Crack Cocaine.” Phillip Weir is charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine,” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Crack Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.”