Cambria County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Grow and Distribute Marijuana
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 20, 2011 |
JOHNSTOWN, PA—A resident of Elmora, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to manufacture and to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Joshua C. Thomas, 32, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from September 2010 to May 9, 2011, Thomas conspired to manufacture and to possess with the intent to distribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 28, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $10,000,000, 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.
Pending sentencing, the court revoked Thomas’s bond.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
A joint task force, headed by the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Thomas. Other agencies participating on the task force include the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; Pennsylvania State Police; the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office; the Cambria County District Attorney’s Office; the Carrolltown Police Department; the Patton Police Department; the Ebensburg Police Department; the Portage Police Department and the Paint Township Police Department.