PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to time served and three years’ supervised release on her conviction of narcotics trafficking in connection with a large-scale investigation, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Theresa Somerville, 50.
In connection with Somerville’s earlier guilty plea, the court was advised that in 2017, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force initiated an investigation primarily targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and its drug-trafficking activity, in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, in February of 2019, the United States received authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation, which continued through June of 2019. In addition to communications about drug trafficking between Christopher Highsmith, the leader of the organization, and many of his coconspirators, agents made numerous seizures of fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs from members of the organization, as well as maintained critical physical surveillance of Highsmith’s drug-trafficking activities.
Somerville was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. She was one of 38 individuals charged in the offense, including Highsmith, as well as her son, Ronald Williams, and her daughter, Ronika Somerville. Somerville admitted to personally packaging and distributing quantities of fentanyl and heroin mixtures at her son’s direction, as well as acknowledged that she separately distributed cocaine and crack cocaine. Somerville had served approximately one month in prison pending her entry of a guilty plea in this case.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that given the defendant’s lack of criminal history, her willingness to accept responsibility for her conduct, and her poor health, a sentence that did not include an additional term of imprisonment was appropriate.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for leading the multi-agency investigation of this case, which included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Somerville.
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