A Butler man pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony charge of possessing 10 grams of a fluorofentanyl and fentanyl mixture at a public housing apartment building in Allegheny County last year.

Gerry Lee Kendall, 41, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Senior District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab.

According to U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung, a Duquesne police officer saw Kendall leave Truman Towers, a known drug trafficking area, on June 6, 2021. The officer then observed Kendall enter the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle and conducted a traffic stop after the vehicle left. While speaking with the driver, Kendall repeatedly asked why they were stopped and appeared to be shaking, Chung said.

When asked about where they were coming from, Kendall was unable to provide the last name of the person he met at Truman Towers or the apartment number, Chung said. The officer asked the driver and Kendall to step out of the vehicle. When the officer asked Kendall whether he had any weapons on him, Kendall tried reached into his pocket. For officer safety, the officer pulled Kendall’s hand from his pocket, and four “bricks” fell out of the pocket when his hand was removed, Chung said.

A “brick” is typically comprised of 50 glassine bags containing heroin and/or fentanyl. The officer arrested Kendall and searched him, which resulted in the seizure of an additional 16 bricks, $1,773, and a cellular phone. A search warrant executed upon the phone revealed texts that showed Kendall’s prior distributions of controlled substances.

Schwab scheduled Kendall’s sentencing March 1. Kendall faces a prison sentence of 5 years to 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, at least four years of supervised release and/or a special assessment of $100. Pending sentencing, Kendall has been released on bond.