(File Photo)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Seventeen individuals from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania; Puerto Rico; and Youngstown, Ohio, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for violating federal narcotics, firearms, and racketeering laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. The defendants were charged in two Indictments that were unsealed today and allege that, between September 2022 and March 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute cocaine throughout Western Pennsylvania, specifically in the New Castle area, as well as in Youngstown, Ohio.
As alleged in the Indictments, members of the two charged groups would transport, either by person or mail, drugs from Puerto Rico to Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere to distribute those drugs as part of an ongoing illicit business enterprise. Two of the defendants, Daniel Feliciano and Markus Hobel, allegedly possessed firearms in furtherance of the drug trafficking. Another defendant, Jamie Klinesmith, allegedly possessed with intent to distribute a significant quantity of methamphetamine.
A complete list of the defendants, charges, and maximum penalties is included at the bottom of this release. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of each defendant.
“Today’s indictments represent an important step toward dismantling a multi-state drug trafficking operation that brought significant quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Western Pennsylvania and our neighbors in Ohio,” said U.S. Attorney Olshan. “Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to work collaboratively to keep our communities safe from drug traffickers and, in particular, those who choose to carry firearms in connection with their drug dealing.”
“Joint investigations that involve federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies working together as part of the HIDTA and OCDETF programs are what lead to successful cases and significant indictments, as is the case here,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “These individuals are accused of trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, and firearms from outside the continental United States, specifically Puerto Rico, to right here in Western Pennsylvania. I commend the efforts of all the agencies involved.”
Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Lawrence County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Drug Task Force, and United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation resulting in the Indictments in this case, with significant assistance from the New Castle Police Department, Ellwood City Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and United States Department of Agriculture.
Lawrence County is one of six Western Pennsylvania counties officially designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. The county received its HIDTA designation in July 2022, allowing it to receive dedicated federal resources to coordinate federal, state, and local governments in fighting drug trafficking and abuse.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
List of Defendants
Feliciano Indictment:
| Name | Age | Place of
Residence |
Charges | Maximum
Penalty |
| Daniel Feliciano | 47 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine | Life
imprisonment |
| Possession with intent to
distribute and distribution of a quantity of cocaine on various dates |
20 years’
imprisonment |
|||
| Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime | Life
imprisonment |
|||
| Luciano Bratini
Rivera |
36 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine | Life
imprisonment |
| Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a quantity of cocaine on various dates | 20 years’
imprisonment |
|||
| Antonio Bernacett Rodriguez | 39 | Barceloneta, Puerto Rico | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine | Life
imprisonment |
| Interstate travel or transmission in aid of racketeering | Five years’
imprisonment |
| Name | Age | Place of
Residence |
Charges | Maximum
Penalty |
| Jean Sanchez Tulla | 37 | Florida,
Puerto Rico |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine | Life
imprisonment |
| Interstate travel or transmission in aid of racketeering | Five years’
imprisonment |
|||
| Ruben Noel
Sanchez |
28 | Youngstown, Ohio | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine | Life
imprisonment |
| Jamie Klinesmith | 39 | Ellwood
City, PA |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
| Possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine | Life
imprisonment |
|||
| Amanda Kelosky | 37 | Ellwood
City, PA |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
| Thomas James
Myers |
45 | Ellwood
City, PA |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
| Roberto Muniz
Sanchez |
45 | Rochester,
PA |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
| Rubel Sanchez | 21 | Youngstown, Ohio | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
| Markus Hobel | 34 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine | 20 years’
imprisonment |
| Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime | Life
imprisonment |
|||
| Dorothy Myers | 41 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine | 20 years’
imprisonment |
| Lindsay Ostrom | 37 | Ellwood
City, PA |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine | 20 years’
imprisonment |
| Glenn Samuels | 32 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine | 20 years’
imprisonment |
Tulla Torres Indictment:
| Name | Age | Place of
Residence |
Charges | Maximum
Penalty |
| Kevin Tulla Torres | 28 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine | Life
imprisonment |
| Possession with intent to
distribute and distribution of a quantity of cocaine |
20 years’
imprisonment |
|||
| Luis Rivera Otero | 37 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
| Franchely Shymko Vazquez | 31 | New Castle, PA | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine | 40 years’
imprisonment |
###