Six Erie Residents Indicted on Drug Charges

ERIE, Pa. – Six residents of Erie, Pennsylvania have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of violating federal drug laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

The two-count Indictment returned on March 14th and unsealed today, named: Larry Tremel Alexander, 46; Dennis Levar Jones, 45; Pernell Tequin Orr, 33; Nicole Grace Fox, 33; Shalin Nicole Pepperman, 41; and Malissa Mae Perry, 41, all of Erie, Pennsylvania.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, from in and around March 2019, and continuing thereafter to in and around October 2022, Larry Alexander, Dennis Jones, Pernell Orr, Nicole Fox, Shalin Pepperman, and Malissa Perry engaged in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and hydrocodone in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. During that same time, Larry Alexander and Malissa Parry conspired to engaged in interstate money laundering transactions intended to promote the drug conspiracy and conceal the proceeds of the drug conspiracy.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 120 years in prison, a fine of $8,500,000, or both for Alexander; a maximum total sentence of 60 years in prison, a fine of $5,500,000, or both for Jones and Orr; a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both for Fox and Pepperman; and a maximum total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $1,500,000, or both for Perry. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pennsylvania State Police Drug Law Unit, Drug Enforcement Administration, Erie Police Department, and Erie County Detectives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

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.

The investigation was also conducted in association with the Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative which was formed following Erie County’s designation as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 2021. The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 to coordinate and assist Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies in addressing regional drug threats with the purpose of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States. The Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative coordinates personnel and resources between multiple agencies including the Pennsylvania State Police, Federal Burau of Investigation, Erie Police Department, Erie County District Attorney’s office, Erie County Detectives, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, and other participating agencies.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.