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 that a grand jury in Scranton indicted Corey Strope, age 37, of Sayre, Pennsylvania yesterday with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute bath salts.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Strope distributed bath salts between January and July 2015, in and around Bradford County. Bath salts consist of a chemical similar to hallucinogenic drugs. The drugs in this case were allegedly shipped from China.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Sayre Borough Police Department and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Todd K. Hinkley for prosecution.
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 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $1,000,000 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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