United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Douglas Beardsley, 38, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of firearms. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that between September 2018 and January 2019, Beardsley bought, sold, and distributed heroin and methamphetamine for profit in the Jamestown area, utilizing several co-conspirators, associates, and runners as well as Facebook and various electronic devices to operate his drug trafficking activities. Beardsley also distributed large amounts of methamphetamine to numerous other individuals in the Jamestown area. During the conspiracy, Beardsley utilized residences on Linden and Forest Avenue in Jamestown for his drug trafficking.  In January 2019, investigators executed a search warrant at the Forest Avenue residence, recovering two firearms, ammunition, $296.00 in cash, quantities of crystal methamphetamine, a digital scale, and other drug paraphernalia. Throughout the conspiracy, Beardsley obtained approximately $112,000 in monetary proceeds from drug trafficking.

In March 2005, March 2009, and February 2013, Beardsley was convicted on various charges in Chautauqua County Court, including drug possession, attempted burglary, and DWI, and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2023, before Judge Arcara.

# # # #