A Jamestown man has pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances causing serious bodily injury.

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Tuesday that David Sekerak Ledesma, 52, entered the admission before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. The plea carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $1 million.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Nicholas A. Testani, who are handling the case, stated that between 2020 and 2023, Ledesma conspired with others to sell narcotics for profit, utilizing social media to conduct his drug trafficking activities. Ledesma and co-defendant Susan Walker also maintained two Lafayette Street residences in Jamestown for their drug trafficking activities. In July 2020, Ledesma sold drugs to an individual who overdosed and suffered a serious bodily injury.

In April 2021, Ledesma was pulled over by a Pennsylvania State Trooper, who search the vehicle and recovered a bag containing heroin and fentanyl. He was convicted of a felony in Pennsylvania. During the investigation, investigators conducted several controlled purchases from Ledesma. In July 2021, a search warrant was executed at the Lafayette Street residences associated with Ledesma, during which cash, a quantity of heroin and a cell phone was seized. In April 2023, another search warrant was executed at one of the Lafayette Street residences. During that search, drug paraphernalia, cellular phones, and cash were seized.

Charges remain pending against Walker.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, III, New York Field Division, the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.

Sentencing is June 10 before Sinatra.