Luzerne County Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Heroin And Cocaine From 2009 To 2013

     The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a former Kingston resident pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to distributing heroin and cocaine during a four-year period.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the defendant, James Featherstone, age 33, admitted to distributing cocaine and heroin on multiple occasions in Luzerne County during January 2009 through September 2013.

     The charge against Featherstone resulted from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Pennsylvania State Police, Kingston Police, and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.

     Featherstone faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

     According to the terms of the plea agreement filed in the case, the government and the defendant will recommend that Featherstone be sentenced to between 163 months and 188 months in prison. Sentencing will occur in May 2014.

     The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.