Franklin County Man Sentenced To 25 Years’ Imprisonment For Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Anthony Michael Cobb, age 49, of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania was sentenced on February 6, 2019, by United States District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo to 300 months’ imprisonment followed by a 6-year term of supervised release after his conviction on firearms possession and drug trafficking offenses. 

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, in April 2018, a federal jury convicted Cobb of three counts of unlawful possession of five separate firearms and of being a previously convicted felon who was not permitted to possess firearms.  The jury also found Cobb guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride (powder cocaine), cocaine base (crack cocaine), and heroin.

In imposing the 25-year sentence, Judge Rambo found Cobb to be an armed career criminal and a career offender.  She imposed the 25-year sentence on each of the six counts concurrently and also ordered the sentence to run concurrent with a 41- to 100-year sentence Cobb received in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for conduct related to his federal charges.

The investigation was conducted by the Waynesboro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys James T. Clancy and Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as 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 has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The case also is 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.

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