Date: October 31, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Johnstown, PA — A former resident of Johnstown, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 42 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute quantities of controlled substances, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Joseph Thornton of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. According to information presented to the court, from on or about April 2019, to on or about July 2021, Thornton did conspire to distribute and possess with intent to distribute quantities of controlled substances. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Mr. Olshan commended the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Thornton. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney's Office, Indiana County District Attorney's Office, Cambria County Sheriff's Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
