3 drug dealers tied to the SCO gang get federal prison sentences
An “ SCO” drug-dealing gang member and two associates, all of whom authorities said were dealing drugs in the Pittsburgh area last year, will spend five years to eight years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania announced Thursday.
Michael Rose, 28, formerly of Pittsburgh, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison; Kreg Williams, formerly of Duquesne, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months; and Marvin Porter, 49, formerly of Allison, was sentenced to five years. Senior U.S. Judge Arthur Schwab sentenced the three in federal court in Pittsburgh. He also gave them four years of probation.
The arrests resulted from the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force investigation into drug trafficking in the Braddock area, which was led by the neighborhood street gang, SCO. Based on information gleaned from wiretaps, the three men and 30 others were indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2019 in separate, but related indictments, prosecutors said.
Rose was sentenced for distributing heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine, authorities said.
When he was arrested in April 2019 during a drug deal at the Monroeville Mall parking lot, a handcuffed Rose ran into the Monroeville Mall. Police confiscated heroin, cocaine and cocaine base, all packaged for resale from the vehicle.
Prosecutors said wiretaps confirmed that Williams was a member of SCO and was trying to deal crack cocaine from August 2018 through May 2019. He was found with three firearms, including an assault rifle, in June 2019.
Authorities said they seized a suitcase containing 612 bricks of heroin and more in a bundle, six firearms and drug paraphernalia during a raid on Porter’s home in June 2019.
Porter was arrested after authorities heard him discuss a heroin deal over a phone used by Howard McFadden, SCO’s leader, law enforcement officials said.
McFadden pleaded guilty to multiple drug charges in February. Prosecutors said he was the ring leader, who used several safe houses in Braddock to stash the drugs. He faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison, authorities said.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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