DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Ohio

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Steven M. Dettelbach
, United States Attorney
Contact: Mike Tobin

Warren man sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for firearms and narcotics violations

A Warren man was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for illegally selling firearms, heroin and cocaine, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. Lewis Powell, 37, was sentenced to 155 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent. Powell pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine and one count of being an unlicensed dealer willfully engaged in the business of dealing firearms. "This defendant trafficked in drugs and guns, including some with obliterated serial numbers," Dettelbach said. "This sentence will hopefully make the Mahoning Valley a bit safer." Powell sold heroin to undercover officers on multiple occasions. He also sold 20 firearms, including three with obliterated serial numbers, according to statements made in court. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Riedl and David M. Toepfer, following investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the TAG Task Force, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification, the Warren Police Department, the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Youngstown Police Department and the Ravenna Police Department.
Columbus Field Division