HARRISBURG, PA — The alleged leader of a Blair County drug-trafficking organization was sentenced to 14 to 30 years in state prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, corrupt organizations, voluntary manslaughter and related offenses stemming from an investigation into a Baltimore-based narcotics distribution network, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.
Rickey “Rizz” Sharief Joyner, 45, of Altoona, received the sentence Tuesday in Blair County after pleading guilty to two counts of corrupt organizations, 21 counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, voluntary manslaughter and additional charges.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Joyner’s voluntary manslaughter conviction arose from the November 2022 overdose death of a Blair County resident. Prosecutors alleged Joyner supplied the victim with fentanyl while representing it as oxycodone.
Attorney General Dave Sunday stated the sentence reflected both the scope of the trafficking operation and the overdose death investigators linked to Joyner. “Rickey Joyner and his criminal enterprise brought deadly drugs into the Blair County region to line their pockets by exploiting addictions,” Sunday said.
Two co-defendants also received prison sentences Tuesday.
Matthew Rodriguez, 40, of Altoona, was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison after a Blair County jury convicted him of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities.
Kirsten Wright, 36, of Altoona, was sentenced to two to four years in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility.
According to investigators, the organization obtained cocaine and other narcotics from Baltimore and distributed them through bars and clubs in the Blair County area.
The Attorney General’s Office reported that investigators from its Bureau of Narcotics Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Blair County Drug Task Force and the Blair County District Attorney’s Office began investigating the organization in early 2023.
Authorities alleged they used controlled purchases, search warrants, payment application records and witness testimony to identify Joyner as the organization’s supplier and connect him to the fatal overdose.
During the execution of a search warrant at Wright’s residence in August 2024, prosecutors alleged Joyner instructed Wright by text message to “flush everything.” According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigators recovered bags of cocaine, a cellphone containing the message “Flush Everything,” and other drug-trafficking paraphernalia after items were thrown from a window.
Deputy Attorney General David Gorman of the Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section prosecuted the cases with Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks.
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