Erie Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Crack Cocaine
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 06, 2009 |
United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, October 1, 2009, that Tommie S. Dunlap, a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal drug laws.
Dunlap, age 31, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin.
In connection with the guilty plea, Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini advised the court that on January 20, 2009, Dunlap possessed with intent to distribute and distributed 6.0 grams of crack cocaine. In addition, on January 30, 2009, Dunlap possessed with intent to distribute and distributed 50.7 grams of crack cocaine.
Judge McLaughlin scheduled sentencing for January 11, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $4,000,000, or both.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The EAGLE task force, which is comprised of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Erie Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Dunlap.