SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Fausto Hernandez, age 43, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to distributing a “designer drug" which is a controlled substance analog.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Hernandez admitted to distributing a “designer drug" known as “4-choroethcathinone," a controlled substance analog which mimics the effects of other drugs, in the Monroe County area in June and July 2019.
Under federal law, such “designer drugs" are controlled substance analogues, which are chemically similar to controlled substances in Schedule I or II, to the extent they are intended for human consumption, and are treated as controlled substances.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
Judge Mariani ordered that a presentence report be completed for Hernandez. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is 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. 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce crime.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to twenty years in 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
