Luzerne County Woman Pleads Guilty To Fentanyl Trafficking

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Casey VanGorder age 28, of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, VanGorder admitted to conspiring with other individuals to distribute between 40 grams and 160 grams of fentanyl in the Luzerne County area between 2019 and 2020.  VanGorder was indicted by a grand jury in August 2020 for fentanyl trafficking.

The charge against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Kingston Police Department, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

This case is also 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Under federal law, the offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of up to forty years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

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.

###