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Date: Nov. 17, 2025
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Johnstown, PA — A former resident of Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 46 months of imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws related to a six-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Blair, Cambria, Centre, and Clearfield counties, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Joshua Pote on Nov. 4, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, investigators seized a quantity of methamphetamine from Pote on Aug. 8, 2023.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Service–Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Pote.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.