ZANESVILLE, Ohio — A defendant described by prosecutors as a “fake lawyer” has been sentenced for his role in what authorities say is one of the largest prison drug smuggling conspiracies uncovered in Ohio.
According to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office, Norman V. Whiteside, 72, was sentenced March 16 in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court after being convicted on multiple felony charges tied to a statewide operation that smuggled drugs into Ohio prisons and laundered proceeds through a financial hub in Zanesville.
A jury found Whiteside guilty in February alongside co-defendant Justin A. Alexander. Alexander, identified as the leader of the operation, was previously sentenced to 33 years in prison, bringing his total incarceration to 58 years…