New Jersey Heroin Trafficker Pleads Guilty

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of East Orange, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of felony heroin trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Marvin Anthony pleaded guilty to the sole count of the indictment before Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that, in March of 2018, the defendant brought 475 "bricks" of heroin to Western Pennsylvania from out of state in order to sell them. A "brick" is a common street term for a group of 50 stamp bags containing opiates, such as heroin, meaning that the defendant brought nearly 24,000 stamp bags with him. The prosecutor noted that the lab determined that the heroin in the stamp bags weighed 430 grams.

Judge Ambrose scheduled sentencing for March 26, 2019 at 11 a.m. Because the government filed a document detailing the defendant’s prior felony drug conviction, the law provides for a total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of up to $8,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Rather than incarcerate the defendant at the time of his plea, Judge Ambrose agreed to permit the defendant to turn himself in to United States Marshals on January 2, 2019 following a scheduled surgery.  At that point, Anthony is expected to remain in custody until the conclusion of his sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt, a federal prosecutor in the Major Crimes Section, is the lead prosecutor for this case on behalf of the government.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Anthony, with the valuable assistance of many different federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies including the Canonsburg Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Monessen Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.