HARRISBURG, Pa. – Rashawn Spriggs, 28, of Chambersburg, plead guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute more than 1,000 grams of heroin from October 1, 2015 to January 7, 2016 in Franklin County and elsewhere.
Spriggs faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison, a term of probation and a fine. Sentencing was deferred pending the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
Co-defendant in the case, Jerthione Bell has already plead guilty and is also awaiting sentencing. Other co-defendants Addan Brito-Torres, Yovelin Mendez-Marte, Jose Perez-Delgado, Joshua Baker, Brandon Morant and Deajon Spriggs are all awaiting trial. All were indicted by a federal grand jury in January.
The case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the heroin initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
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.
The maximum penalty under federal law is life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum 10 year term of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following 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.
