York County Man Indicted for Crack Cocaine Trafficking

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Harrisburg returned an indictment Wednesday charging August Ranalli, age 31, of York, with drug trafficking as a result of an arrest and seizure in the city of York.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, local law enforcement officers engaged in an undercover operation and allegedly arrested Ranalli on November 28, 2012, outside of his residence with almost half a kilogram of crack cocaine.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant Unites States Attorney Michael A. Consiglio.

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 guilty is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

In this particular case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is life 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.