Omari Patton, Attempting to Obtain Drug-Soaked Papers, Pennsylvania 2023

A federal jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has convicted Omari Patton, 44, of five counts related to attempting to provide to a federal inmate or obtain as a federal inmate a Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substance in federal prisons.

The conviction stems from an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which found that Patton directed his son, Dashawn Burley, to mail envelopes to him and another inmate containing paper saturated with synthetic cannabinoids, also known as 'K2 paper' or 'deuce,' which are potent synthetic drugs.

The evidence presented at trial established that in September and October 2018, Patton, who was incarcerated at the Fort Dix, New Jersey, federal prison, directed his son to mail three envelopes to him and two envelopes to another federal inmate at the Ray Brook, New York, federal prison. All five envelopes contained paper that had been saturated with a Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substance.

Omari Patton, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was tried before United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,250,000. Under States Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for Patton on June 15, 2023. The court ordered that Patton would remain detained.

Assistant United States Attorneys Craig W. Haller and Rebecca L. Silinski are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/jury-finds-pittsburgh-man-guilty-attempting-obtain-drug-soaked-papers-while