Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, money laundering, possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession of a machinegun, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The nine-count indictment, returned on August 21 and unsealed on August 28, named Anthony Bentley, aka Poundcake, age 43, of 128 Curtis Street, Pittsburgh, PA, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, from in and around May 2015 to in and around January 2016, Bentley engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving five kilograms or more of cocaine. He is also charged with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine on October 20, 2015. The indictment further alleges that the defendant engaged in money laundering on five occasions—between October 29, 2013, and July 8, 2015—when he used drug trafficking proceeds to fund certain real estate transactions, including a $156,649.01 cashier’s check used to purchase real property in Pittsburgh on May 23, 2014. The defendant, a previously convicted felon, is also charged with unlawfully possessing 32 firearms, including an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle and an M16 fully automatic machinegun, as well as numerous types of ammunition.

Bentley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, as well as a fine of $10,000,000, for the conspiracy charge; a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000 for the distribution charge; a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for four of the money laundering charges; a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $500,000 for the fifth money laundering charge; a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for the felon-in-possession charge; and a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for the machinegun charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. The task force comprises members drawn from federal law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. 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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