Michael Allen Corkhill, 31, of Dunbar, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The plea relates to his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area from June 2024 to May 2025.
Court documents state that Corkhill obtained methamphetamine from co-defendant Amanda Marie Mace and redistributed it in and around Charleston. He admitted to distributing the substance on four occasions between October 22, 2024, and January 16, 2025, each time to a confidential informant near South Charleston. Mace was present during one transaction on December 11, 2024.
Corkhill is scheduled for sentencing on April 27, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine up to $10 million.
Corkhill and Mace are among sixteen people indicted after a federal investigation into the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the region between June 2024 and May 2025. Six defendants from the main indictment have pleaded guilty; four others have entered guilty pleas in related cases. The remaining defendants’ cases are pending. The indictment is an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
United States Attorney Moore Capito acknowledged the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which includes several local law enforcement agencies: Charleston Police Department, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Nitro Police Department, St. Albans Police Department, and South Charleston Police Department.
The hearing was overseen by United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration issues as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
Further details can be found through court records on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-78.
