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Date: 01-23-2018
Case Style:
United States of America v. Antonio Perez
Middle District of Pennsylvania Federal Courthouse - Scranton, Pennsylvania
Case Number: 3:14-cr-00269-RPC
Judge: Karoline Mehalchick
Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (Lackawanna County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Francis P. Sempa
Defendant's Attorney: Jamie Dench
Description: Scranton, PA - Hazleton Man Guilty Of Heroin Trafficking
Antonio Perez, age 45, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on January 16, 2018, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick, to distribution of heroin.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Perez admitted to selling heroin to another person on July 2, 2014, in Hazleton. Perez sold slightly less than 100 grams of heroin, which is equivalent to just under 4,000 retail bags of heroin.
Judge Mehalchick ordered a pre-sentence investigation, and noted that Senior U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy will schedule a date for sentencing.
Perez was indicted by a grand jury in October 2014, following an investigation by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Scranton Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law is 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Outcome: Guilty
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: