A Johnstown man pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday for violating federal narcotics laws in an investigation that took place across Western Pennsylvania.
57-year-old Daniel Culmer entered the plea to one count from a superseding indictment concerning drug distribution and to violating the terms of his supervised release. Acting U.S. District Attorney Troy Rivetti said in a statement that from April to July of 2021, Culmer possessed a quantity of crack cocaine with intent to distribute and conspired to circulate drugs in the Western PA region. He was intercepted by investigators on a federal wiretap obtaining the drugs. At the time, he was on a supervised release from a prior federal conviction in 2018.
He was one of 32 people that were indicted in a drug ring in 2021 by investigators on the federal, state and local level, including Indiana Borough Police, State Troopers and the Indiana County District Attorney’s Office. He is due to be sentenced on May 29th, and could face up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $2 million or both. The actual sentence will be based on the seriousness of the offense and any prior criminal history.
