The alleged leader of a Blair County drug-trafficking organization was sentenced to 14 to 30 years in state prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, corrupt organizations, voluntary manslaughter, and other charges stemming from an investigation into a Baltimore-based narcotics distribution network, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.
Rickey “Rizz” Sharief Joyner, 45, of Altoona, was sentenced Tuesday in Blair County after pleading guilty to two counts of corrupt organizations, 21 counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, voluntary manslaughter, and other charges.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Joyner’s voluntary manslaughter conviction stemmed from the November 2022 overdose death of a Blair County citizen. Prosecutors claimed Joyner provided the victim with fentanyl while misrepresenting it as oxycodone.
Attorney General Dave Sunday indicated that the term reflected the extent of the trafficking organization as well as the overdose fatality that investigators tied to Joyner. “Rickey Joyner and his criminal enterprise brought deadly drugs into the Blair County region to line their pockets by exploiting addictions,” Sunday claimed.
On Tuesday, two co-defendants received prison terms.
Matthew Rodriguez, 40, of Altoona, was sentenced to five to ten years in prison after a Blair County jury found him guilty of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver, and dealing in the proceeds of illegal acts.
Kirsten Wright, 36, of Altoona, received a sentence of two to four years in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver, and illegal use of a communication facility.
According to authorities, the gang purchased cocaine and other narcotics in Baltimore before distributing them through Blair County pubs and clubs.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigators from the Bureau of Narcotics Investigations, Pennsylvania State Police, the Blair County Drug Task Force, and the Blair County District Attorney’s Office began investigating the organization in early 2023.
Authorities claimed that they used controlled purchases, search warrants, payment application records, and witness evidence to identify Joyner as the organization’s supplier and link him to the fatal overdose.
During the execution of a search warrant at Wright’s apartment in August 2024, prosecutors claimed Joyner told Wright via text message to “flush everything.” According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigators discovered sachets of cocaine, a cellphone with the message “Flush Everything,” and other drug-trafficking paraphernalia after they were tossed out a window.
Deputy Attorney General David Gorman of the Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section prosecuted the cases alongside Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks.
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