Luzerne County Man Pleads Guilty To Illegal Possession Of Firearms And Methamphetamine Trafficking

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Bruce Redmond, age 31, of Dallas, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to the illegal possession of firearms and methamphetamine trafficking.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Redmond admitted to being an illegal user of controlled substances in possession of firearms and to the possession of methamphetamine for further distribution. The charges stem from an incident in which law enforcement authorities served search warrants at Redmond’s residence in Dallas and business office in Kingston and seized approximately 58 firearms, 6,664 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of methamphetamine.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kingston Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting 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 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.

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.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the drug offenses is twenty years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  The maximum penalty for the firearms offenses is ten years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release, 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.

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