scranton Archives

Scranton, PA; Earnest Lee Pittman, Jr. Indicted For Online Child Enticement

3Sep

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Scranton, PA; Earnest Lee Pittman, Jr. Indicted For Online Child Enticement

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on September 1, 2020, Earnest Lee Pittman, Jr., age 45, of Cresco, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on online child enticement charges. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that between August 4-12, 2020, Pittman used the internet, a computer and a cellular telephone in an attempt to entice an individual under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activities. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Kingston Municipal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in Ma...

Luzerne County Man William Barratt Sentenced To Five Years’ Imprisonment

28Aug

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Luzerne County Man William Barratt Sentenced To Five Years’ Imprisonment

Luzerne County Man William Barratt Sentenced To Five Years’ Imprisonment For Receiving Child Pornography (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that William Barratt, age 40, of Sugarloaf Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on August 27, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for receiving child pornography. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Barratt previously pleaded guilty to using his cell phone and computer to access images and videos of child pornography from websites on the internet. Barratt committed the offense between April 2018 and March 5, 2019, in Luzerne County. Judge Mannion also ordered Barratt to serve five years on supervised release following his pr...

Wilkes-Barre Man Truman Jones Sentenced To 211 Months’ Imprisonment

28Aug

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Wilkes-Barre Man Truman Jones Sentenced To 211 Months’ Imprisonment

Wilkes-Barre Man Truman Jones Sentenced To 211 Months’ Imprisonment For Firearms And Drug Trafficking Offenses (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on August 27, 2020, Truman Jones, age 45, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 211 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for heroin and crack cocaine trafficking and firearms offenses. According to U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, Jones was convicted by a jury of all counts charged in the indictment: one count of conspiring to distribute 100 grams and more of heroin and crack cocaine, seven counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possessing firearms i...

Scranton Man Kevin Peterson Sentenced To 41 Months’ Imprisonment

28Aug

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Scranton Man Kevin Peterson Sentenced To 41 Months’ Imprisonment

Scranton Man Kevin Peterson Sentenced To 41 Months’ Imprisonment For Conspiracy To Distribute Bath Salts (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Peterson, age 36, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment followed by three years on supervised release on August 25, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for participating in a conspiracy to distribute alpha-pvp, commonly known as “bath salts.” According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Peterson admitted to agreeing with others to distribute the drug to customers in the Luzerne County area during 2014 and 2015. The members of the conspiracy obtained the alpha-pvp from suppliers in China. Peterson was one of seven people c...

Luzerne County Man Todd Houghtlin Indicted On Drug And Firearm Offenses

28Aug

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Luzerne County Man Todd Houghtlin Indicted On Drug And Firearm Offenses

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on August 11, 2020, Todd Houghtlin, age 50, of Duryea, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for illegal possession of a firearm and fentanyl. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that on July 14, 2020, Houghtlin, who was a user of illegal drugs, was found in possession of fentanyl and a .380 caliber handgun loaded with four rounds of ammunition. This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Luzerne County Drug Task Force and the Kingston Police Department, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (...

Pike County Man Jerald Ungerer Charged With Production Of Child Pornography

26Aug

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Pike County Man Jerald Ungerer Charged With Production Of Child Pornography

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jerald Ungerer, age 33, of Milford, Pennsylvania, was indicted on August 25, 2020, by a federal grand jury and charged with multiple child exploitation crimes. According to United States Attorney, David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that on January 16, and February 9, 2017, March 6, and 12, 2020, Ungerer produced multiple videos and images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Northeast Computer Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a ...

Luzerne County Man Jesse Carey Sentenced To 12 Years’ Imprisonment

14Aug

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Luzerne County Man Jesse Carey Sentenced To 12 Years’ Imprisonment

Luzerne County Man Jesse Carey Sentenced To 12 Years’ Imprisonment For Two Separate Drug Trafficking Charges (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jesse Carey, age 33, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on August 12, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 12 years’ imprisonment for two separate drug trafficking crimes committed in Monroe and Luzerne Counties. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Carey was indicted by a grand jury in 2017, after an incident on August 5, 2017, at the Mount Airy Casino in Monroe County, in which Carey was found in possession of approximately 47 grams of cocaine and 29 individual packets of heroin for further distribution, a scale, and $9,777...

12Aug

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Dunmore Man Robert Andrewsh, Jr. Charged With Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on August 11, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Robert Andrewsh, Jr., age 25, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, with methamphetamine trafficking and firearms offenses. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment charges Andrewsh with conspiring to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine in November and December 2019, with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine on three different occasions, and with possessing a firearm in furtherance of his narcotics trafficking. The matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Scranton Police Department, and the City of Carbondale Police Department. Assistant United States Att...

Rochester Man John Law Indicted In Multi-Million Dollar Nationwide Ponzi Scheme

31Jul

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Rochester Man John Law Indicted In Multi-Million Dollar Nationwide Ponzi Scheme

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that John Law, age 41, of Rochester, New York, was indicted on July 28, 2020, by a federal grand jury on fraud charges. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that Law conspired with Perry Santillo and others to defraud investors as part of a Ponzi scheme that netted over $115 million nationwide. Law is charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud, and with four counts of mail fraud. Previously, Perry Santillo pled guilty to felony charges in Rochester and Scranton, and admitted to defrauding investors around the country as part of a Ponzi scheme that included victims in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Santillo admitted ...

New Bedford Massachusetts Man Jason Monast Sentenced To 25 Years’ Imprisonment

30Jul

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New Bedford Massachusetts Man Jason Monast Sentenced To 25 Years’ Imprisonment

New Bedford Massachusetts Jason Monast Man Sentenced To 25 Years’ Imprisonment On Child Pornography Charges (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jason Monast, age 37, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, was sentenced on July 28, 2020, to 25 years’ imprisonment followed by 10 years on supervised release by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for online enticement of a minor and penalties for registered sex offenders. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, between March 1, 2019 and April 11, 2019, as a registered sex offender, Monast used the internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Covington Township Police D...

Schuylkill County Man Carlos Correa Sentenced To 30 Months’ Imprisonment

29Jul

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Schuylkill County Man Carlos Correa Sentenced To 30 Months’ Imprisonment

Schuylkill County Man Carlos Correa Sentenced To 30 Months’ Imprisonment For Heroin Trafficking (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carlos Correa, age 32, of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 23, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to 30 months’ imprisonment for his participation in a heroin trafficking conspiracy in Schuylkill and Luzerne Counties. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Correa previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin, which is equivalent to more than 4,000 retail bags of heroin. The drug conspiracy operated in the Shenandoah area of Schuylkill County and the Hazleton area of Luzerne County during 2012 through 2015. T...

Former Ashley Borough Police Officer Mark Icker Sentenced To 15 Years’ Imprisonment

27Jul

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Former Ashley Borough Police Officer Mark Icker Sentenced To 15 Years’ Imprisonment

Former Ashley Borough Police Officer Mark Icker Sentenced To 15 Years’ Imprisonment For Sexually Assaulting Two Women (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a former Ashley Borough Police Officer, Mark Icker, age 30, was sentenced on July 24, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 15 years’ imprisonment for violating the civil rights of two females in custody whom he sexually assaulted. According U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, Icker worked as a police officer for the Ashley Borough Police Department in December 2018. On December 3, 2018 and December 10, 2018, Icker, while acting under color of the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, willfully deprived two women of their liberty without due process of l...

Luzerne County Man Michael Marchese Charged With Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

22Jul

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Luzerne County Man Michael Marchese Charged With Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Marchese, age 28, of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, was indicted on July 21, 2020, by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that between April and May 2020 within the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Marchese conspired to distribute in excess of 50 grams of methamphetamine, distributed methamphetamine, and was in possession of a Ruger LCP .380 handgun and ammunition as a convicted felon. The investigation was conducted by the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, the Kingston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Rober...

Monroe County Man Jonathan Brownlee Guilty Of Possessing Child Pornography

17Jul

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Monroe County Man Jonathan Brownlee Guilty Of Possessing Child Pornography

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jonathan Brownlee, age 42, of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on July 16, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to possessing child pornography According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Brownlee admitted that he used a laptop computer to possess and access images of child pornography. Between August 2017 and April 10, 2018, in Monroe County. Brownlee possessed the child pornography while serving a term of supervised release for a previous conviction for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Judge Mannion ordered a presentence investigation to be completed. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. The case was investigated by the ...

New Jersey Man James R. Bell Charged With Conspiring

16Jul

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New Jersey Man James R. Bell Charged With Conspiring

New Jersey Man James R. Bell Charged With Conspiring To Distribute Controlled Substances Resulting In Death (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that James R. Bell, age 28, of Newark, New Jersey, was indicted on July 14, 2020, by a federal grand jury with drug distribution resulting in death. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the Indictment alleges that Bell conspired with others to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, fentanyl and heroin, within the Middle District of Pennsylvania, resulting in the death of a person. The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton, the Monroe County Dist...

Plains Township Man Philip Finn, Jr. Sentenced To 10 Years’ Imprisonment

10Jul

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Plains Township Man Philip Finn, Jr. Sentenced To 10 Years’ Imprisonment

Plains Township Man Philip Finn, Jr. Sentenced To 10 Years’ Imprisonment For Firebombing Luzerne County Children And Youth (STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Philip Finn, Jr., age 50, of Plains, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 9, 2020 to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by three years supervised release by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for use of fire to commit stalking. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, on March 6, 2017, Finn threw three Molotov cocktails to set fire to the Luzerne County Children and Youth Building to harass and intimidate two Children and Youth Employees. Finn also used Facebook, Google and his cell phone in harassing the employees. Judge Mannion also or...

Luzerne County Woman Laquanna Bacote Guilty Of Conspiracy

9Jul

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Luzerne County Woman Laquanna Bacote Guilty Of Conspiracy

Luzerne County Woman Laquanna Bacote Guilty Of Conspiracy To Unlawfully Purchase Guns (STL.News) –The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Laquanna Bacote, age 25, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on July 7, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to conspiring with others to make false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms from federal-licensed firearm dealers in Luzerne and Northampton Counties between April and October of 2019. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Bacote admitted to conspiring with others to purchase 14 guns for another person while falsely claiming to be the actual purchaser of the firearms. Bacote made false statements on federal firearms forms to purc...

Luzerne County Woman Amanda Boyle Pleads Guilty To Methamphetamine Trafficking

30Jun

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Luzerne County Woman Amanda Boyle Pleads Guilty To Methamphetamine Trafficking

(STL.News) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Amanda Boyle, age 37, of Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 29, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Boyle admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute between 1.5 kilograms and 5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in the Luzerne County area between January 2017 and December 2018. Boyle was one of five individuals indicted by a grand jury in December 2018 for methamphetamine trafficking in Luzerne, Lackawanna and Schuylkill Counties Judge Mariani ordered that a presentence report be completed. Sentencing will be sch...