Wilkes-Barre Man Sentenced To 198 Months’ Imprisonment For Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

 SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Hakim Wilburn, age 50, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 198 months’ imprisonment on December 3, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than a 1,000 grams of heroin and other drugs. 

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Wilburn previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin (which is equivalent to more than 50,000 retail bags) between 2015 and 2018, throughout Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming Counties. Wilburn also admitted that he distributed more than 500 grams of cocaine during the conspiracy.

Wilburn’s conviction and sentence resulted from a federal investigation involving both Wilburn and his wife, Danielle Moorer.  Moorer also pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin and is awaiting sentencing.

Judge Mariani also ordered Wilburn to serve ten years of supervised release following his prison sentence.  Federal agents also seized approximately $100,000 in cash from Wilburn, which was forfeited as a resulted of Wilburn’s prosecution, along with multiple Rolex watches, vehicles, and four firearms. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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.