Man sentenced to at least 10 years in prison on drug charges

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A city man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to three first-degree felony drug charges was sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison.

Judge R. Scott Krichbaum handed down the sentence in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to Brian James, 43, who pleaded guilty Feb. 15 to charges of aggravated possession of drugs, possession of fentanyl and possession of cocaine with a firearm specification.

The judge said before the sentencing that James has a history of drug offenses, and the only way to ensure the public is protected from him is to put him in prison for a significant period of time.

“The only way to stop you from doing it [selling drugs] is to put you out of circulation,” the judge said.

There was an audible gasp in the courtroom from the gallery when the judge announced his sentence.

Assistant Prosecutor Michael Rich said the charges stemmed from a 2022 investigation into drug activity by the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, who served search warrants at two homes linked to James in Youngstown.

He was secretly indicted in November by a grand jury.

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