Local Woman Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Clearfield, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 57 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release on her conviction of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced yesterday.

Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Nicole Gaines, age 42, of Clearfield, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, from July 2019 to June 2020, Gaines conspired to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Ms. Chung commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Gaines. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.

This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.