Wilkes-Barre Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Heroin Trafficking Offense

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a Wilkes-Barre man pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Scranton, before United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to a federal heroin trafficking charge.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Larry Hayes, age 28, admitted to the charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin. Hayes and another defendant were indicted by a grand jury in June 2015.

The charges stem from an incident in which investigators served a search warrant at a residence located on Sullivan Street in Wilkes-Barre and seized heroin from a bedroom in which Hayes was sleeping. From another bedroom in which the co-defendant was sleeping, investigators seized an additional amount of heroin and two firearms.

The investigation was conducted by the Wilkes-Barre Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

The charges against the co-defendant, Disean Kendricks, are still pending.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara.

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 under federal law is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, 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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