McKees Rocks man sentenced to federal prison for role in drug trafficking

A McKees Rocks man was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in a federal prison for his role in drug trafficking activity in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, according to prosecutors.

Lamont Benton, 24, was ordered to spend three years on supervised release. He pleaded guilty in October to a drug conspiracy charge.

He was indicted in June 2019 along with about three dozen others who a grand jury said were involved in moving significant quantities of drugs in three states. Prosecutors said Benton was part of a neighborhood gang — DS44 — that was under investigation for trafficking drugs and guns. U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said investigators learned through a wiretap that Benton distributed 39 grams of a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl between January 2018 and June 2019.

Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that conversations intercepted between Benton and a co-defendant showed the pair were discussing drug sales and meeting locations. His criminal history dates back to age 14, prosecutors said.

In a letter to the court, Benton’s mother said he has a job waiting for him after his release from jail and he is the sole provider for his family. She said she hoped that he could get drug and mental health treatment while incarcerated. Benton has denied involvement in the gang, his attorney Stephen Begler said in court filings.

“The defendant has had some run-ins with the law, but nothing like this,” Begler wrote. “For some reason, courts have taken it easy on him, but no more. In talking to him, counsel feels that reality has set in on this young man.”

Benton’s lengthy criminal history and his positive attributes both factored into U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV’s sentence, according to a statement from Brady.