Federal gun and drug trial begins

Staff report

CLEVELAND

A jury trial began Monday in federal court here for a man charged with selling heroin to a confidential informant in Warren and possessing two handguns despite a felony conviction that bars him from gun possession.

Ricardo B. McKinney is on trial before U.S. District Court Judge Christopher A. Boyko.

The government alleges the illegal narcotic sales occurred Jan. 26 and Feb. 19, 2015, and said those sales led to a Feb. 25, 2015, search of McKinney’s Warren residence using a search warrant.

There, Warren police found more than 2.2 pounds of heroin and the two guns, the government says.

The government is asking that McKinney forfeit the guns and the money it alleges were his ill-gotten gains from illegal activities, including $6,081 in cash seized from his home during the search, and $23,702 from his savings account and $1,505 from his checking account, with the bank account monies having been seized March 11, 2015.

McKinney denies he sold heroin to the informant and denies possessing the guns, according to a joint pre-trial statement of the case filed with the court by prosecuting and defense lawyers.

The case is being prosecuted by Daniel J. Riedl and Marisa T. Darden, assistant U.S. attorneys.

McKinney’s lawyers are Edwin J. Vargas and Jennifer Y. Scott, both of Fairview Park.