HOLLIDAYSBURG — The city man on trial for allegedly participating in an Altoona drug ring told a Blair County jury Wednesday that he made extra money by driving for rideshare services, not selling illicit drugs.

Under questioning by his defense attorney, Matthew Lewis Rodriguez, 40, said he worked as a bartender and server until 2020. He began working toward his journeyman’s license as an electrician until his arrest in 2024.While working as an electrician, Rodriguez said he began driving for Uber to earn extra money and support his family.

Rodriguez, disputing what prosecutors said were suspicious Cash App transfers, said he started giving rides to those he had met through bartending and serving and accepting payment through Cash App, Venmo or cash when he realized Uber “doesn’t pay very well.”

“That’s how I met 90% of the people from today and yesterday,” Rodriguez said, referencing the prosecution’s witnesses who testified against him Tuesday and Wednesday. “I was sober so I was giving people rides.”

Rodriguez, accused of playing a “significant” role in the drug ring, is facing 14 felony charges, including corrupt organizations and possession with intent to deliver.

His testimony came after Jarod Quist, a narcotics supervisor with the Attorney General’s Office, took the stand and showed the jury monetary transactions that were uncovered through a download of data from Rodriguez’s phone, as well as cellphones belonging to co-defendant Cecylia Thompson and witness Caitlyn Pingatore.

Quist testified that mobile data placed Thompson at an address just outside of Baltimore with Pingatore about the time Pingatore said they went to pick up bricks of cocaine for Rodriguez.

Pingatore’s phone showed “hundreds of references to cocaine” including its trafficking and use, alongside contact and location information for Joyner and Rodriguez, Quist said.

Further data on Pingatore’s phone revealed contact between Rodriguez and Pingatore about buying cocaine and monetary transactions between the two, Quist said under questioning by District Attorney Pete Weeks.

On Rodriguez’s phone, Quist found about $1,900 over 16 transactions. Quist said those “varying amounts” were “indicative of what we were looking for in our investigation.”

Pletcher questioned how Quist knew the Cash App account belonged to Rodriguez and Quist said the account’s name, date of birth and Social Security number matched Rodriguez’s information, “which led me to believe the account absolutely belonged” to him.

Pletcher then asked Quist if he was familiar with Uber. Quist said that while he personally had never used a rideshare service, it was his understanding that “you would pay in the app and not through Cash App.”

During his testimony, Rodriguez admitted to being at Pingatore’s and Thompson’s residence “once or twice” to pick people up and said he borrowed co-defendant Laura Horne’s car once when he hit a deer with his own vehicle.

Pletcher asked Rodriguez about the witnesses who testified to him picking up and dropping off cocaine at Thompson’s apartment, to which Rodriguez said it was “not true.”

“To me, it seems like I’m getting railroaded here,” Rodriguez said, “like I’m the fall guy.”

On cross-examination, Deputy Attorney General David Gorman asked Rodriguez if he had any records regarding his employment, to which he said no and that he believed the AG’s office “have the records themselves that I was gainfully employed.”

Gorman then asked if the co-defendants who had testified against him had “got together” to agree to point the finger at Rodriguez and come up with “the story of you being the driver” for co-defendant Rickey Joyner, the drug ring’s alleged leader, to which Rodriguez said “yes.”

When Horne was called to testify, she told the court Rodriguez was first introduced to her as Joyner’s driver.

“I never heard that he was an Uber driver,” Horne said. “I didn’t see anything to indicate he was an Uber driver.”

Under questioning by Weeks, Horne said she was cooperating with the prosecution in hopes of receiving “some leniency” but “no promises have been made.” Horne, 28, is facing 18 felony charges in relation to her alleged involvement in the drug ring.

In explaining her relationship with Rodriguez, Horne said she met Joyner through a friend and started buying cocaine from him. As her addiction worsened, she began running errands and dealing cocaine for Joyner as well. If Joyner was not available, Horne said he would redirect her to Rodriguez for the drug.

Joyner would also ask Horne if Rodriguez could use her vehicle “to take a trip” to Baltimore because hers was in better condition, and that she could get cocaine in exchange “when Matt gets back,” Horne said.

When asked by Weeks how many times this happened, Horne said “at least a handful of times.”

Thompson, called to the stand by Gorman, testified that Pingatore, her downstairs neighbor, introduced her to Joyner in the summer of 2022.

Thompson said Joyner would obtain cocaine to sell and bring it to her apartment, where “we kept most of it.”

“Most of the time it was Matt delivering it,” Thompson said.

At one point, Joyner or Rodriguez would deliver a gallon-sized zip-top bag half filled with cocaine about every two weeks. Thompson said this happened about 10 times until Rodriguez was pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation after leaving her apartment.

Joyner told her Rodriguez wouldn’t be stopping by her apartment anymore, Thompson said, noting Joyner was the one who gave orders.

When questioned by Gorman about a notebook that she turned over to police following the execution of a search warrant on her residence, Thompson said Joyner had asked her to keep track of who was receiving what amount of drugs when he didn’t have the right amount of money.

Pletcher called the notebook’s authenticity into question and asked Thompson if she had created it before handing it over to police, to which she said “no.” Thompson then admitted to not including herself in the notebook and said her own drug use never came up between herself and Joyner.

Pletcher also pointed to other writings within the notebook that had nothing to do with cocaine, saying he was “a little suspicious.”

Thompson, 33, is facing 11 felony counts for her alleged involvement in the drug ring. She also said she was hoping for leniency by testifying, but has not been promised anything.

Testimony in Rodriguez’s case concluded Wednesday, with both the defense and prosecution resting their cases. The jury will hear closing arguments today before being sequestered for deliberations.

Senior Judge Michael A. George of Adams County presided over the proceedings.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.