May 11, 2015

Exeter Man Charged with Distributing Crack Cocaine

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that an indictment was returned on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, by a grand jury in Scranton charging an Exeter man with distribution of crack cocaine.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the indictment charges that Sekou Lashley, age 36, of Exeter, Pennsylvania, distributed cocaine base (crack) in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, on March 19, 2015.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Peter Hobart is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for distributing cocaine is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $1,000,000 fine.

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.

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.