Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Mark Jason Pearson, 32, of Dunbar, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Pearson admitted to possessing approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine at his First Street residence in Dunbar on July 13, 2022. Pearson further admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to others, and that he previously obtained at least 3 pounds of methamphetamine and sold smaller quantities of methamphetamine to a confidential informant between June 6, 2022, and July 8, 2022.

Pearson is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2022, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, as well as five years of supervised release and a $10 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT).

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-156.

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