CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Daemien Thompson, 40, of Oak Hill, was sentenced on Thursday, May 28, 2026, to 12 years and 11 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Thompson admitted to conspiring with other individuals to obtain methamphetamine and distribute it within the Southern District of West Virginia from on or about November 27, 2022, until on or about December 6, 2023. More than 3.5 pounds of 100 percent pure methamphetamine was distributed as part of the conspiracy.
On November 27, 2022, Thompson and a co-conspirator sold 446 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $2,600. Thompson admitted to the transaction and further admitted that his co-conspirators sold methamphetamine to the same confidential informant on other occasions, usually in quantities of 1 pound or more, at various locations, including an Oak Hill trailer park. As part of his guilty plea, Thompson admitted to the drug trafficking organization being involved in controlled buys of high-purity methamphetamine on December 5, 2022, December 14, 2022, and February 2, 2023, with a total amount of approximately 2.59 pounds of actual methamphetamine distributed during the transactions.
Thompson is among four individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy. All four pleaded guilty. Phillip Gray, 42, of Oak Hill, was sentenced on October 15, 2025, to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Leondus Whittenburg, 44, of Beckley, was sentenced on August 19, 2025, to seven years and 11 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. John Gray, 40, of Oak Hill and Phillip Gray’s brother, was sentenced on December 2, 2025, to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine.
Thompson has a criminal history that includes prior convictions for third-degree sexual assault, delivery of a controlled substance, and unlawful assault.
“This successful prosecution disrupted a ruinous drug trafficking conspiracy and secured convictions and prison terms for all four defendants indicted,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito. “The sentence imposed on this defendant underscores our commitment to rid our streets of those who endanger them through the trafficking of dangerous drugs.”
Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Boggess and Brian D. Parsons and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-31.