As a result of an interagency investigation, involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, 12 men were recently indicted on charges of narcotics trafficking and violation of federal firearms laws. The men included eleven Pennsylvania residents and one New York City resident.
The defendants are said to have engaged in a criminal enterprise, including conspiracy to distribute over 100 grams of heroin, and possession of methamphetamine and 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy, or "molly") with theintent to distribute. The indictment covers activities from January 2013 until October 2013. In the indictment federal prosecutors indicated that they will seek the forfeiture of property used in the commission of the alleged crimes, including a 2008 Pontiac and a 2008 Can am motorcycle.
The defendants face sentences from 20 years in prison to life in prison as a result of the charges. A number of the potential sentences also include mandatory minimum prison sentences. These mandatory minimum sentences are exactly the kinds of penalties which Human Rights Watch condemned as stacking the deck in favor of federal prosecutors in a report late last year. The advocacy group said that these kinds of mandatory minimum sentences are frequently used by prosecutors to frighten defendants into agreeing to plea bargain, resulting in very high federal conviction rates. In the case of a conviction for a crime which carries a mandatory minimum sentence, the ability of the judge to reduce the sentence is effectively eliminated.
Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.
If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.