James Richard Mathis, a 30-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty on February 5, 2026, to possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. The plea was entered in federal court in Charleston, West Virginia.
Court documents and statements indicate that on August 3, 2024, Mathis was found with more than 90 grams of methamphetamine and over 20 grams of fentanyl in or near Dunbar, West Virginia. Authorities say he intended to distribute these substances.
Mathis is scheduled for sentencing on May 20, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive up to 40 years. Additionally, he may be subject to at least three years of supervised release and a fine that could reach $5 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito commented on the case: “I commend the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.”
The hearing was overseen by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
Information about this case can be found by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-87 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..
