New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty To Heroin Trafficking

     The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a New Jersey resident pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it in January 2014.

     According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, George Wormley, age 37, of Montclair, New Jersey, admitted that he possessed approximately 300 bags of heroin and intended to sell it to others on January 3, 2014, in Kingston, Pennsylvania.

     Wormley was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 25, 2014, as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Kingston Police, and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.

     Wormley faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Judge Mannion ordered a pre-sentence report to be completed. No date was set for sentencing.

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

     A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

     In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is 20 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $1 million 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.