HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Santino Rey Texidor, age 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pled guilty yesterday to drug trafficking charges before Magistrate Judge Susan Schwab. Sentencing was deferred pending the preparation of a presentence report.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Texidor pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute over 50 grams of cocaine in Harrisburg in 2015.
This case was part of a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General - Narcotics Investigations and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Robert Smulktis and Assistant United States Attorney Daryl Bloom.
“In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, we are particularly proud of the strong working partnerships that we enjoy with state and local law enforcement. This combined investigation including prosecution assistance from the PA Office of Attorney General once again shows that there are no boundaries when the goal is to remove illegal drugs from our communities and keep our streets safe," said United States Attorney David J. Freed.
“As Attorney General, I am committed to keeping Pennsylvanians safe and getting dangerous drugs off their streets," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “The defendant was peddling large quantities of cocaine into our communities, threatening the safety of the people of Dauphin County. I’m proud of the strong collaboration between my Office and our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office which resulted in today’s guilty plea."
A sentence following a finding of guilt will be imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 40 years of imprisonment, a mandatory four year term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $5,000,000 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
