Leann Marie Keyes, a 42-year-old resident of Beckley, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. The plea was entered in federal court and relates to activities that occurred between October 2024 and January 2025.
Court documents and statements presented in court indicate that Keyes conspired with another individual to sell fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia. As part of her guilty plea, Keyes admitted she and her co-conspirator sold a total of 12.34 grams of fentanyl on four separate occasions during this period. Each transaction involved sales to a confidential informant. Keyes also acknowledged communicating with the informant prior to each sale and confirmed that her co-conspirator conducted the hand-to-hand transactions at their shared residence in Beckley.
Keyes is set for sentencing on January 9, 2026. She faces up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a possible fine reaching $1 million.
Her husband and co-conspirator, Justin Scott Keyes, aged 36, also from Beckley, pleaded guilty on September 16, 2025, to the same charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. He is scheduled for sentencing on the same day as Leann Marie Keyes.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the pleas and praised the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit—which includes members from the West Virginia State Police, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and Beckley Police Department—in investigating the case.
The hearing was presided over by United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting.
Further information about this case can be found through PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-73 on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
“Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department.”
###
