ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jonathan Allen Mowery, of Harman, West Virginia, was arraigned after being indicted by a federal grand sitting in Elkins on February 20, 2019 on drug and firearms charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Mowery, age 36, was indicted on one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Mowery is accused of distributing methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” in March 2017 in Randolph County. He is also accused of illegally possessing a 9mm caliber pistol.
Mowery faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the drug count and faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and the Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crime Task Force investigated.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.