The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a woman from Luzerne County has been charged with drug trafficking offenses in a Criminal Information filed on June 12 in U.S. District Court in Scranton.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Gina Paglianite, age 47, of Hazleton, is charged conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack) in Luzerne County between 2011 and July 9, 2013. Paglianite is also charged with distributing heroin in Scranton, on November 21, 2014.

The government also filed a plea agreement which is subject to the approval of the court.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus.

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, on each count. 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.