District of Massachusetts United States Attorney Joshua Levy announced Wednesday that Lavante Wiggins and Theodore “Monty” Warren had been arrested that morning for “allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine in Western Massachusetts.” Wiggins appeared in federal court in Springfield, but did not enter a plea.
According to court documents, Wiggins had been the subject of an investigation into drug trafficking since March 2024. A combination of informants, surveillance, phone and text records, and other techniques were used to build the case against him. A cooperating witness known as CW-1 in the text who is working to reduce their own criminal sentencing for drug and gun charges has agreed to publicly testify against Wiggins. The unnamed source has been paid $3,500 for information provided to the FBI as of November 2024, and has had 62 arraignments as an adult and eight as a juvenile in Massachusetts state courts.
Despite CW-1’s apparent motivation to testify as a means to mitigate their own sentencing, investigators say the information provided from that source is credible as it has been corroborated by independent investigations and evidence gathered through other means.
According to the charging document, Wiggins allegedly gave the CW over $35,000 worth of cocaine on credit.
The investigation alleges that Warren served as Wiggins’ right-hand man in the drug operation, and the charging document details hundreds of grams of cocaine being sold by Wiggins’ organization over the course of the months-long investigation.
If convicted, Wiggins and Warren face up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Wiggins, 30, is a graduate of Pittsfield’s now defunct private catholic school St. Joseph Central High School. While at the school, he was a captain of the Crusaders football team. In a student profile published by iBerkshires.com, Wiggins said his favorite movie was “Friday Night Lights,” his favorite NFL player Peyton Manning, and that his dream job was to be a model. After studying Sport Science at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, Wiggins was hired as Dean of Students at Pittsfield High in 2021.
According to state data, PHS has a student enrollment of 724. Over 65% of the student body is designated as high need, and almost 59% as low-income. According to 2024 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test results, the school lags behind state averages for mathematics and science.
Pittsfield Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Curtis issued the following statement to the media:
“We have been informed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office about the arrest of Lavante Wiggins, Dean of Students at Pittsfield High School. In response to this matter, Mr. Wiggins has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately. Please know that we remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our students and staff. We have no other information at this time.”
The office of Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti declined to comment, directing all questions to the FBI.
Levy’s office declined to comment as the matter is now pending before the court.
Wiggins did not respond to a request for comment from WAMC.
