Clearfield Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

JOHNSTOWN – A local man has been sentenced in federal court to a total of eight years in prison followed by four years of supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Senior U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Chad Lawhead, 49, of Clearfield.

According to information presented to the court, from July of 2019 to June of 2020, Lawhead conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Chung commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Lawhead.

Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police and other local law enforcement agencies.

This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States.

OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.