Michael Reynard Penn, Fentanyl Distribution, West Virginia 2024

BECKLEY, W.Va. – In a shocking turn of events, Michael Reynard Penn, a 43-year-old man from Beckley, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 17, 2023, Penn sold approximately 27 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant for $1,600 at his Beckley residence. Penn admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling fentanyl to the confidential informant on three other occasions at his residence between August 23 and September 13, 2023.

On September 18, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Penn’s residence and found cocaine, marijuana, a Ruger .380-caliber pistol and $4,889. The cash included $470 in pre-recorded money Penn received from the confidential informant during the controlled drug buys.

Penn is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. This sends a clear message that our community will not tolerate the distribution of deadly fentanyl.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-94.

Michael Reynard Penn is the defendant in this case, with the exact criminal charges being distribution of fentanyl. The city and state are Beckley, West Virginia. The exact date of the crime was August 17, 2023. Penn is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

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