Judge Sentences Erie Drug Dealer to 14 Years in Federal Prison

ERIE, PA—A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 14 years in federal prison on his conviction of violating federal drug distribution laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Chief United States District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin imposed the sentence on Harrison “Old Head” Jones, age 34.

According to information presented to the court, on April 15, 2011, Jones conspired with another individual in Erie, Pennsylvania, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than an ounce of crack cocaine in exchange for $1,850.

Prior to imposing sentence, Chief Judge McLaughlin characterized Jones as a recidivist drug dealer, who had duped his community, family, and friends into believing that he was living a law-abiding life, “creating a facade of respectability.” Chief Judge McLaughlin determined that Jones was a career offender who reverted to a life of drug dealing, a crime Judge McLaughlin characterized as a catalyst for other crimes, including gun violence, in the community. According to Chief Judge McLaughlin, the sentence imposed should send a loud and clear message to others in the community inclined to distribute drugs that the penalties for repeat offenders will be severe.

Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the FBI’s Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE) task force, which is composed of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Erie Police Department, for the investigation leading to the conviction of Jones.