Ohio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Columbus, Ohio man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Rashawn Akmed Miller, 37, was one of 14 defendants charged as a result of a long-term investigation known as “Second Wave,” which dismantled a poly-drug network operating in Kanawha and Fayette counties.

According to the his plea agreement and statements made in court, Miller brokered a deal between a Columbus, Ohio supplier and Jason Michael Terrell and Roger Jarea Drake.  Terrell and Drake traveled from Kanawha County to Columbus where Miller introduced them to the supplier who sold them approximately two pounds of methamphetamine.  Terrell and Drake returned to West Virginia where they distributed the methamphetamine.  Terrell was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Drake is scheduled to be sentenced in September 2021.

All defendants charged as a result of the Second Wave investigation have pleaded guilty. Along with Drake, Steven Matthew Bumpus, Craig Redman, Tonya Simerly and Ronald Lee Thomas III are scheduled to be sentenced in September 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the excellent investigative work of all the law enforcement agencies involved in the case.  The long-term investigation was spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in partnership with the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force (CWVDTF), the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, the Charleston Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation of Sammy Joe Fragale, Sr., and Sammy Joe Fragale II, as part of the Second Wave investigation.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks handled the prosecution.