Rafael Carrera-Fuentes, Prison Weapon Possession, West Virginia 2015

Three Defendants Sentenced to Prison in Federal Court in Beckley

BECKLEY, W.Va. – A federal court in Beckley handed down harsh sentences to three defendants for their involvement in various crimes. The three defendants, Rafael Carrera-Fuentes, John Samuel Lowe, Jr., and Stephanie Renee Dunsmore, were sentenced to prison time for their crimes.

Rafael Carrera-Fuentes (36) was sentenced to one year and nine months for possession of a weapon by an inmate of a federal prison. Carrera-Fuentes previously pleaded guilty to the federal crime in November 2015. He admitted that on April 25, 2015, while he was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution at Beckley, a Bureau of Prisons staff member discovered a six-inch piece of sharpened metal hidden in his shoe. Carrera-Fuentes further admitted that he possessed the handcrafted weapon, commonly referred to as a “shank.” The new term of incarceration will run consecutive to the sentence of 11 years for a 2011 federal drug conviction that Carrera-Fuentes is currently serving.

John Samuel Lowe, Jr. (35), of White Sulphur Springs, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison for using a phone to facilitate drug trafficking and for simple possession of heroin. Lowe previously pleaded guilty in October 2015 to the federal drug crimes. He admitted that on April 3, 2015, he used a phone in the White Sulphur Springs area to help set up a drug deal with a confidential informant, and that later the same day he distributed heroin to the informant. Lowe further admitted that on April 17, 2015, law enforcement seized a small amount of heroin that Lowe intended to use from his White Sulphur Springs residence.

Stephanie Renee Dunsmore (30), of White Sulphur Springs, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for using a phone on two occasions to help set up drug transactions with a confidential informant. Dunsmore previously pleaded guilty in October 2015 to the federal drug crimes. She admitted that on March 2, 2015, and again on March 3, 2015, while she was in the White Sulphur Springs area, she called an informant to set up a drug deal, and then later distributed heroin to the informant. She further admitted that her drug crimes involved up to 400 grams of heroin, and that she possessed firearms while involved in her drug dealing activity.

The Carrera-Fuentes case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The cases against Lowe and Dunsmore were investigated by the Greenbrier Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney John File handled the prosecutions. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentences.

The Lowe and Dunsmore cases were prosecuted as part of the Greenbrier Valley Heroin and Pill Initiative, an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal drug trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia is dedicated to keeping the public informed about the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and related crimes. This case is a prime example of the office’s commitment to holding those responsible for these crimes accountable.

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