Allentown Man Guilty Of Heroin Trafficking Conspiracy

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert Birch, age 46, of Allentown, pleaded guilty on September 13, 2019 to conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin before Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Birch admitted to regularly obtaining heroin from suppliers in New York and Allentown and distributing the drug in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Birch admitted to being responsible for distributing between 100 grams and 400 grams of heroin, which is approximately equivalent to between 4000 and 16,000 retail bags of heroin.

Judge Caputo scheduled sentencing for September 25, 2019.

Birch was indicted by a grand jury in September 2016, as a result of an investigation by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, members of the Pennsylvania State Police, and Allentown Police. Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa 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. 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.

This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 40 years’ imprisonment. The charge also carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison. 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.                 

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