Beckley Drug Counselor Sentenced For Federal Fentanyl Crime
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 10:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BECKLEY, W.VA.- Last Friday, a 44-year-old Beckley, West Virginia, man, employed as a substance abuse counselor, was sentenced to over two years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl within Beckley, West Virginia, during the summer of 2023.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston, on Friday, July 11, 2025, Michael Reynard Penn, 44, of Beckley, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Frank W. Volk to 29 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Distribution of a Controlled Substance, Fentanyl.
According To Court Documents
According to charging documents and statements made in the District Court, on August 17, 2023, during an ongoing narcotics investigation, Penn sold around 27 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $1,600 from his Beckley, West Virginia, residence, during a controlled buy under the observation of law enforcement Investigators.
During his previous plea allocation, Penn admitted to the August 17, 2023, transaction and further admitted to selling fentanyl to the confidential informant on three other occasions outside of his Beckley residence between August 23, 2023, and September 13, 2023.
On September 18, 2023, following the controlled buys, Investigators obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant at Penn’s residence. During the search, Investigators located and seized 6.482 grams of cocaine, 162 grams of marijuana, a Ruger .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun, and $4,889 in U.S. currency, including the $470 in pre-documented money Penn received from the confidential informant during the controlled buys.
At the time of the instant offense, Penn was employed as a peer counselor at a substance abuse treatment center. Penn also has a criminal history, including a previous conviction for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
