SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a Wilkes-Barre man was indicted on Sept. 13, by a federal grand jury in Scranton on marijuana trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the Indictment charges Christian Rosado, age 26, with charges that stemmed from a joint investigation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Hazelton Police Department in connection with a shooting incident in Hazleton in July 2016.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, working in conjunction with the Hazelton Police Department. The prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Evan Gotlob.
This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP"), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes
Rosado faces a minimum of 10 years and up to a lifetime term of incarceration as well as fines totaling $1,750,000.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is 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, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
