Federal court reports

Mar. 7—A woman of many names pleads guilty to drug crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Christina Lynn Perkins, also known as "Christina Lynn Jack-Davis," "Cece," "Christi Jack," "Ice Queen," and "CJ," 51, of Huntington, pleaded guilty last week to distribution of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

According to court records, Perkins sold approximately 1 ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $800 on July 24, 2020. The transaction occurred at Perkins' apartment. Perkins arranged for an individual to sell approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on July 23, 2020, and to selling approximately 13.71 grams of methamphetamine for $350 to a confidential informant in Huntington on Dec. 3, 2020.

Following that transaction, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Perkins was driving. Officers seized approximately 314 grams of methamphetamine, 27 grams of cocaine, 6 grams of fentanyl and digital scales. Perkins admitted that she intended to sell the seized controlled substances.

On Dec. 4, 2020, officers searched a residence in Huntington where Perkins stayed as a guest and turned up more drugs. Officers seized approximately 123 grams of fentanyl, 449 grams of methamphetamine, 139 grams of cocaine and four firearms.

Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

----Huntington man, 43, gets 3-year sentence for dealing fentanyl

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Jimmie Lee Holbrook, 43, of Huntington, was sentenced last week to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.

According to court records, Holbrook sold fentanyl on April 10, 2023, to a confidential informant in a vehicle outside of a service station in Huntington.

----Bluefield man gets probation for embezzling $45,000 for health care services

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Matthew Huffman, 37, of Bluefield, was sentenced last week to three years of federal probation, including 90 days on home detention with location monitoring, and ordered to pay $45,258.51 in restitution for theft or embezzlement in connection to health care services.

Huffman admitted to stealing from Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center while employed as its chief substance use disorder officer.

According to court records, Huffman embezzled money from Southern Highlands including more than $5,000 it received from the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP).

Southern Highlands is a non-profit medical treatment center that offers a variety of services including addiction treatment. COSSUP grants are distributed, in part, to treat and support those impacted by illicit substance use and misuse.

Huffman admitted that he forged signatures required to approve the use of COSSUP grants and other funds, and also used the names of patients and consumers no longer receiving services from Southern Highlands on the necessary forms. Huffman further admitted that he embezzled these funds for his personal gain, using the money to pay his utility bills and vehicle loan payments and to purchase gift cards and prepaid debit cards.

----Huntington woman pleads guilty to running illegal gambling business

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Allison Jones, 46, of Huntington, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business.

According to court records, Jones was the online host for an illegal gambling business from Sept. 20, 2020, until Oct. 1, 2022. Jones admitted to conducting online games of chance for the illegal gambling business on Facebook Live from her Huntington residence.

Jones further admitted that two primary administrators/organizers owned, directed, managed and controlled the illegal gambling business and that it also had several moderators who supervised the online games and handled any customer problems that arose during the games.

Jones was among dozens of hosts who conducted the online games. The other members of the illegal gambling business were customers, online gamblers located throughout the United States who played the online games conducted by the illegal gambling business primarily by purchasing pull tabs from hosts.

Jones paid a monthly fee to the administrators/organizers and agreed to the terms they set in exchange for the right to conduct games in the illegal gambling business. Jones admitted that she typically hosted two to three online games per week and made money as a host by selling pull tabs. Online customers would comment in the online comment section for the illegal gambling business to indicate how much money they were wagering and then transfer money to Jones via an external online payment system. Jones would then pull the tabs while the customers watched on Facebook Live. When a customer won prize money, Jones would send the winnings to the customer via the external online payment system.

Jones received about 25 percent of the net sales of each box of pull tabs as her profit. Each box typically contained 4,000 tabs that Jones typically sold to customers for $1 a tab, earning her $600 to $800 per box. Jones further admitted that she purchased the pull tab games from a Charleston-area business about once per week with her profits from hosting online games.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

----Princeton felon, 27, gets 3 years for federal gun crime

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Kaleb Merritt, 27, of Princeton, was sentenced last week to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, law enforcement officers arrested Merritt on Oct. 27, 2022, on a Virginia warrant at the Princeton business where he was working. Merritt told the officers that he had a firearm when they asked him if he had any weapons. Officers found a Glock model 43 pistol in Merritt's pants pocket.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Merritt knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for first-degree arson in Mercer County Circuit Court on June 12, 2015.