Attorneys for John Crites Sr., John Crites II, and Kelly Crites, former officers of Allegheny Wood Products (AWP), have announced that all criminal charges pending against the Crites family have been dropped. A special prosecutor appointed to oversee the case filed a motion to dismiss the prosecution, citing the State’s lack of any evidence of wrongdoing.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh of the Northern District of West Virginia granted the motion. John Crites Sr. was represented by Mike Hissam, John Crites II was represented by Isaac Sponaugle, and Kelly Crites was represented by Steve Ruby.
“This case shocks the conscience; it is an egregious example of what happens when prosecutors abuse their power,” said Steve Ruby, attorney for Kelly Crites. “The Crites family are honorable, law-abiding people who have contributed enormously to the state of West Virginia for more than 50 years. Their name was smeared by lawless prosecutors who brought fabricated charges and ultimately were forced to admit their case lacked any basis. Justice has prevailed.”
“Mr. Crites and I are glad that someone finally had the sense to put an end to this case that should have never been started,” said Mike Hissam, attorney for John Crites Sr. “Mr. Crites is an honest man who never committed a crime in his life.
This entire prosecution was a travesty from the beginning,” he said. “John Crites II has been cleared of these bogus charges,” stated defense attorney Isaac Sponaugle. “The Special Prosecutor dropped the criminal cases against him. There was not any evidence to show he meant to defraud anyone. The court agreed and dismissed the case. We do not have a kangaroo court in West Virginia,” he added. “Kelly Crites is a loving mother, a good neighbor, and a respected attorney who was victimized by an extraordinary example of prosecutorial misconduct,” said Ruby.
“With her good name restored, she looks forward to continuing her lifelong efforts to serve her community.”
On March 6, 2024, a U.S. Northern District Court in West Virginia put AWP under receivership. At its peak, AWP had 13 facilities in the Appalachian Hardwood Region. It employed over 800 people. After AWP went into receivership, law enforcement officials in Hardy County took the unlawful step of threatening the Crites family with criminal prosecution if the receivership claims of certain AWP vendors, including a Hardy County Commissioner, were not paid in full.
On March 25, 2024, the Sheriff of Hardy County filed two criminal complaints against John Crites II. The charges were for obtaining goods by false pretenses. A preliminary hearing took place on April 16, 2024. The Magistrate Court of Hardy County dismissed the complaints. The State failed to show probable cause for any criminal offenses.
On October 8, 2024, the Hardy County Prosecutor’s Office brought the same dismissed cases to a grand jury, this time adding charges against John Crites II’s sister, Kelly Crites, and his father, John Crites Sr, for the same offenses. The Crites family moved the case from the Circuit Court of Hardy County to federal court.
Once in federal court, the Hardy County prosecutors admitted that the Crites family had acted solely under the direction of the federally appointed receiver—effectively conceding that the prosecution’s case was groundless.
On February 25, 2025, the federal court appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the case, who later sought to drop all charges against the Crites family. The Special Prosecutor could not find any criminal wrongdoing by the Crites family. The federal court approved the motion. It dismissed all charges with prejudice against the Crites family.
“The Hardy County good ole boys abused the criminal justice system against the Crites family. Their goal was to circumvent the receivership process to extract special treatment for their friends and political allies,” said Sponaugle. “This is the sort of corruption you expect to see in movies,” said Sponaugle. “Thankfully, the court and Special Prosecutor recognized this for what it truly was – politically motivated lawfare.”
