PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and firearms offenses stemming from a long-running investigation into a drug operation in the city’s 22nd Police District.
Michael Williams, also known as Michael Jiles, 56, received a sentence of 180 months in prison and three years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge Kai N. Scott, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced.
The sentence follows a federal investigation that authorities said linked Williams to the distribution of crack cocaine and the illegal sale of firearms in the area surrounding 23rd Street and Nicholas Street and 23rd Street and Ridge Avenue.
According to court filings, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives launched an investigation in October 2022 into a drug trafficking organization known as Blumberg. Investigators determined that crack cocaine and marijuana were being sold in the targeted area and alleged that Williams was also involved in firearms trafficking.
Williams was charged in a March 2025 indictment and pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine, 17 counts of crack cocaine distribution, and four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
During his plea hearing, Williams admitted that he conspired with co-defendant Tyrae Askins to distribute crack cocaine between January 2023 and March 2025, sold crack cocaine on multiple occasions, and sold nearly a dozen firearms despite being legally prohibited from possessing them because of prior felony convictions.
The case highlights ongoing federal and local efforts to target illegal drug and firearm activity in Philadelphia neighborhoods that have been identified by law enforcement as persistent trafficking corridors.
Askins, Williams’ co-defendant, is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha A. Arena and Branwen McNabb O’Donnell prosecuted the case.
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