Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno, a 23-year-old resident of Chicago, Illinois, has been sentenced to three years of federal probation for his involvement in a scheme to transport contraband into the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell using a drone.
Court documents indicate that on February 1, 2024, Aleman-Piceno and co-defendant Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez approached the fence surrounding FCI McDowell carrying a backpack and duffle bag. These bags contained a drone and two camouflaged packages filled with four cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco. As part of his guilty plea, Aleman-Piceno admitted that their plan was to use the drone to deliver the packages onto prison grounds. Law enforcement intervened as they prepared to launch the device.
Aleman-Piceno also acknowledged traveling from Chicago to McDowell County, West Virginia with Gonzalez and another co-defendant, Arturo Joel Gallegos. He believed he would be paid $3,000 for delivering the packages by drone. The group stayed at a local motel where authorities seized marijuana, tobacco, and materials used for making camouflaged packages.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty on July 7, 2025, to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for November 3, 2025. Gallegos pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025; his sentencing is set for December 8, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the sentence and praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and McDowell County Sheriff’s Office in investigating this case.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed Aleman-Piceno’s sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted 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 PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-126.”
