A Huntington resident, Erin Leigh Keeney, 41, pleaded guilty to distribution of carfentanil in federal court. According to statements made during the hearing and court documents, Keeney sold about 1 gram of suspected fentanyl to a confidential informant for $100 on March 24, 2025. During her plea, Keeney also admitted she told the informant about a gun that was available for sale.
Keeney was indicted along with Earl Michael “Mike” Myers, Joe Sidney Cross, and Maurice Kelly Johnson (also known as “Reese”) by a federal grand jury. The indictment alleges they conspired to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and methamphetamine in the Huntington area from at least March 2025 through August 2025. The cases against Cross and Johnson are still pending.
The investigation also led to separate indictments for two other individuals. Donovan Dewayne Pauley, 20, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on October 27, 2025 to possessing a short-barreled shotgun that was not registered as required by law. Pauley’s sentencing is scheduled for February 9, 2026.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Keeney is scheduled for sentencing on March 30, 2026. She faces up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine that could reach $1 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the plea and recognized the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Huntington Police Department, and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force in investigating this case.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a national effort by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations while addressing violent crime in communities.
Further information can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia or by searching PACER for Case No. 3:25-cr-161.
