Penn Hills man charged with shooting pregnant woman sentenced to federal prison on drug charges

Apr. 13—A 19-year-old Penn Hills man facing attempted homicide charges in the January shooting of a 20-year-old pregnant woman in Leetsdale was sentenced to federal prison Monday for his role in a large-scale heroin trafficking ring busted by the FBI two years ago.

Roderick Ferguson, 19, who has been linked to the McKees Rocks and Brentwood areas, will serve a year and three months in federal prison for possessing and selling heroin and fentanyl as a drug runner for the gang known as Darccide/Smash 44, or DS 44, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said. His prison term will be followed by two years of probation.

He pleaded guilty to the drug charges June 2, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Margaret Philbin.

The Jan. 25 shooting in which Ferguson is charged happened while he was out on federal bond awaiting sentencing.

In February, Allegheny County Police asked the public for help finding Ferguson when authorities issued an arrest warrant in connection to the shooting.

U.S. Marshals apprehended Ferguson at a Days Inn in Washington, Washington County, according to county police Lt. Venerando Costa. His federal bond was revoked because of the new charges filed by Allegheny County Police.

He was booked into the Allegheny County Jail on March 9, court records show. He was denied bond, with court records describing Ferguson as a "danger to victims, witnesses and community."

Police responding to a 911 call for the Jan. 25 shooting at the intersection of Route 65 and Broad Street in Leetsdale found the victim — a 20-year-old pregnant woman — several miles away on Route 65 in Emsworth after the car she was riding in crashed, officials said. First responders found the woman suffering from gunshot wounds to the neck and chest. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was in stable condition. A 20-year-old man driving the car also was treated for injuries. The victims' names have not been released.

County detectives also announced the arrest of Madeline Filotei, 18, in connection with the shooting. She was charged with hindering apprehension and making false reports to law enforcement.

Officials have not provided further details or a possible motive for the shooting. County police did not have further updates on the shooting investigation to share Monday.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday for the shooting-related charges filed against Ferguson. His attorney declined to comment before the hearing.

In the federal drug ring case, Ferguson was nabbed along with 36 others, mostly from the Pittsburgh region, following a far-reaching FBI wiretap investigation that culminated in the slew of indictments filed in June 2019. Combined, the defendants were charged with conspiring to distribute and distributing more than a kilogram of heroin, at least 400 grams of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, cocaine and crack cocaine.

Drug activity in and around Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood prompted the initial investigation targeting the DS44 gang in 2017. A wiretap investigation began in February 2019.

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@triblive.com or via Twitter .