New Castle Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm Crimes

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal drug trafficking and firearms charges, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Maurice Collier, age 33, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge David Stewart Cercone.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised on September 17, 2020, Collier distributed cocaine base.  In addition, on November 4, 2020, Collier possessed with the intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and cocaine base, and he possessed a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime.

Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing to occur on April 30, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

The Lawrence County Drug Task Force, the New Castle Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the convictions in this 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.