SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Dickson Gutierrez, age 43, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 12, 2018, before Senior United States District Court Judge James M. Munley to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Gutierrez admitted to possessing between 300 and 400 grams of cocaine for further distribution. The charge stems from an investigation, conducted in August 2017, in which police made two purchases of cocaine from Gutierrez and then obtained a search warrant for Gutierrez’s residence and vehicle, both located on Hampton Street in Scranton, and seized additional amounts of cocaine as well as $10,275 in cash.
Judge Munley ordered a presentence investigation to be completed. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
Gutierrez was indicted by a grand jury in October 2017, as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Scranton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting 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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.
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 up to twenty years in prison, 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
