Three Indiana Residents Charged With Robbery Of Scranton Pharmacy

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Coreon House, age 20, Rashad Coleman, age 25, and Nicola Dunlap, age 21, all of Indianapolis, Indiana, were indicted on July 10, 2018, by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit robbery of a pharmacy, one count of armed robbery of a pharmacy and  one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that on May 21, 2018, House, Coleman and Dunlap took numerous bottles of pills, including oxycodone, morphine and xanex, from the CVS Pharmacy, located on Moosic Street in Scranton.  The indictment further charges House, Coleman and Dunlap for use of a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Scranton Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.          

This case is 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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 law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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 for the armed robbery charge under federal law is 25 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, consecutive to any other sentence. 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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