SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle
District of Pennsylvania announced today that Daryl Trent, age 43, of East
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on March 20, 2018, before Senior U.S.
District Court Judge James M. Munley to possession with intent to distribute
heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Trent
admitted to committing the drug offense on March 16, 2015, and committing the
gun offense on July 25, 2014. Both crimes occurred in Monroe County. Trent
admitted to possessing with intent to distribute between 10 and 20 grams of
heroin, which is approximately equivalent to between 400 and 800 retail bags of
heroin.
Judge Munley ordered a presentence report to be completed,
and scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2018.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and local police from Monroe
County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods
(PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all
levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods
safer for everyone. Attorney General
Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a
top priority. In October 2017, as part
of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions
announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to
develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons
learned since PSN launched in 2001.
This case was also 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 life in prison, a
term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The firearms
charge also carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years’ imprisonment,
and the sentence imposed for that offense must run consecutive to any other
sentence. 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.
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