Twelve Indicted Following Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force Investigation Into Drug Trafficking in Pittsburgh and Beyond
PITTSBURGH, PA – Twelve defendants from Allegheny, Lawrence and Westmoreland Counties have been charged with drug trafficking following a months-long wiretap investigation into narcotics trafficking in the City of Pittsburgh and greater Allegheny County region, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. This Indictment is related to a larger investigation into the narcotics trafficking activities of the “11 Hunnit” neighborhood street gang operating in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh and beyond. A total of 22 defendants have been charged in four separate, but related, indictments stemming from this investigation.
“Every citizen in western Pennsylvania deserves to live in a community free from the violence and devastation created by drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Brady. “For too long, the “11 Hunnit” gang has terrorized the law-abiding residents of the City of Pittsburgh and the Hill District. Through the four indictments of 22 members and associates of “11 Hunnit,” we have effectively dismantled this gang and its grip on our city.”
The Indictment, returned on June 15 and unsealed today, charges the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms grams or more of cocaine, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until in and around June 2020:
• Donald Epps, age 65, of 1615 3rd Avenue, New Kensington, PA;
• Michael Glenn, age 57, 1201 Smokey Wood Drive, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Michael Turner, age 47, of 7519 Big Beaver Blvd., Wampum, PA;
• Gary Wilkinson, age 56, of 1551 Woodbine Street, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Dion Williams, age 44, of 1 Marion Street, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Ivan Upsher, age 58, of 1033 Ross Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Gerald Bogan Jr., age 39, of 2411 Park Hill Drive, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Charles King, age 57, of 2952 Glen Mawr Street, Pittsburgh, PA;
• Jeffrey Brown, age 50, of 4026 Northminster Street, Pittsburgh, PA; and
• Michael Jones, age 69, of 401 E. Schoonmaker Avenue, Monessen, PA.
The Indictment additionally charges Defendant Glenn and the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (in the form commonly known as “crack”) in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until February 2020:
• Timothy Harris, age 57, of 521 Landleiss Place, Pittsburgh, PA; and
• Giles Davis, age 60, of 2641 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA.
With respect to Defendants Epps, Glenn, Turner, Wilkinson, Williams, Upsher, Bogan, King Brown, and Jones, each of whom is charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both. With respect to Defendants Glenn, Harris and Davis, each of whom is charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendants.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (Bureau of Narcotics Investigations) led the multi-agency investigation that also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. This Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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