SCRANTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that an indictment was returned by a grand jury charging a Wilkes-Barre man with failing to comply with sex offender registrations requirements.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Joseph Brant, age 55, a current resident of the Sherman Hills Apartments in Wilkes-Barre, is charged with being a person required to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act by reason of a sexual abuse conviction under the laws of the State of New York.  It is alleged that Brant traveled interstate to Pennsylvania and established a residence in Wilkes-Barre but failed to register and update his sex offender registration information in Pennsylvania.

The charges are the result of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service - Scranton and New York offices.  Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.

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.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 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.

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