Whethers sentenced in 1993 murder

More than 7 1/2 years after he ordered the fatal beating of a Monessen man, Fayette County drug lord Ronald Whethers was sentenced to serve at least 15 additional years in prison.

Whethers, 41, of Edenborn, was finally sentenced Thursday morning to a prison term of 15 to 30 years, ending a marathon prosecution that saw him charged with murder, operating a massive cocaine trafficking ring and, most recently, dealing drugs from his jail cell.

He is already serving a life prison term on federal charges.

The drug operation Whethers ran from the Westmoreland County Prison prompted a state grand jury probe, criminal charges against his daughter and, eventually, the firing of the warden.

'This marks the conclusion of a long and arduous prosecution, and it's gratifying that Ronald Whethers has finally been sentenced for his role in the homicide of Michael Lucas,' said Deputy Attorney General Scott Robinette.

William Michael Lucas was beaten by a group of Whethers' cohorts on the front steps of his Monessen home on June 6, 1993. A week later Lucas, 34, died from injuries he sustained in the beating.

The beating became a national news story when Lucas' heart and liver were transplanted into then Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey.

In the meantime, authorities contended Whethers continued to operate one of the largest cocaine trafficking rings on the East Coast. 'When it was at its pinnacle, the Whethers organization was the principal distributor of cocaine to western Pennsylvania,' Robinette said.

Whethers was arrested in early 1995 and charged with Lucas' murder, racketeering and related drug offenses.

More than five years later, last Oct. 26, Whethers pleaded no contest to third-degree murder in connection with the Lucas homicide. Whethers also pleaded guilty to drug, racketeering and conspiracy charges related to allegations that he continued to run his drug business from jail.

Yesterday, Westmoreland County Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr. sentenced Whethers to 10 to 20 years in prison for the murder and another five to 10 years behind bars for the conspiracy and drug charges related to his actions at the county lockup.

The impetus for the plea bargain was the prosecution of Whethers' daughter, Rachel, who was arrested and charged with helping her father sell drugs from the prison.

'We're doing the practical thing for us to all move along,' McCormick said of the sentence he imposed.

'There are countless victims out there, including your daughter. I see the damage you and people like you do on a daily basis. You and people like you cause mothers to lose their children, fathers to lose their families and people to lose their lives,' McCormick said.

The judge then turned his attention specifically to the Lucas family.

'I express to the Lucas family the concerns I have, but nevertheless you sometimes have to look at it practically,' McCormick said.

In an interview in October with the Tribune-Review, family members said they did not support Whethers' plea bargain because he admitted no guilt for his role in the death of Michael Lucas.

It was the arrest of Rachel Whethers last June 22 that paved the way for the cases against her father to be resolved.

Rachel Whethers, 21, was charged with transporting drugs from New York for her father, who continued to direct his organization by using a cellular telephone smuggled into the prison by a guard.

Ronald Whethers had nothing to say yesterday during his brief sentencing hearing. But just before he was led out of the courtroom, he turned to McCormick and thanked the judge for his handling of Rachel Whethers' case.

'I appreciate the compassion you showed my daughter,' Ronald Whethers said.

Ronald Whethers agreed to plead no contest to the Lucas murder and guilty to the drug allegations involving his prison drug ring to ensure that his daughter got off lightly.

Yesterday, Rachel Whethers was sentenced to five years on probation for her role in her father's drug organization. She had faced up to six years in prison for the felony drug convictions she pleaded guilty to in October, but prosecutors agreed to wave mandatory sentencing requirements in return for her father's pleas.

In addition to the probation, McCormick sentenced Rachel Whethers to have no contact with her father for five years, undergo drug testing and treatment, live with a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and cooperate with authorities.

Although Rachel Whethers, who is seven months pregnant and has an 18-month-old daughter, could have received some jail time, her attorney pleaded with McCormick to impose a probation sentence.

Defense Attorney Jerome Tierney said Rachel Whethers had lived an exemplary life until she became involved with her father.

'She was an obedient child. Her problem was that she could not say no to her father,' Tierney said.

Yesterday's sentencings appeared to bring the Whethers case to a conclusion.

Prosecutors contended that Whethers ordered the fatal beating of Lucas on the erroneous belief that he had stolen a kilogram of drugs from his organization. In reality, another Whethers operative, Christopher Garry, had stolen the drugs but fingered Lucas for the deed.

On Whethers' orders, a band of about a dozen men traveled to Monessen and beat Lucas. Eight men were eventually convicted in connection with Lucas' death. Whethers did not participate in the beating.

Once arrested, Whethers used numerous legal tactics to delay his trial. The delays lasted more than five years. Meanwhile, Whethers was arrested and convicted of federal money laundering charges in connection with his drug organization.

Whethers' state sentence for the Lucas murder and drug charges will run concurrently to the life prison sentence.

And while he awaited his murder trial, authorities learned that Whethers continued to run his drug operation from his prison cell with the help of two jail guards, his daughter and several others.

A subsequent grand jury investigation unearthed numerous security deficiencies at the lockup and allegations that inmates referred to Whethers as the 'little warden.'

The scathing grand jury report, released last month, led to the firing of warden Kurt Scalzott and the filing of criminal charges against a second jail guard.

Last June, authorities charged guard Anthony Shawley with helping Whethers by smuggling him a cellular telephone.

Rachel Whethers testified before the grand jury about her involvement and the roles of others in her father's prison drug ring.

Charges against guard Anthony Shawley, former guard Art Maljan and 20 other people were filed last month in connection with the drug ring.