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 Wilkes-Barre resident pleaded guilty yesterday in Scranton, before United States District Judge James M. Munley, to failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Joseph Brant, age 56, pleaded guilty to 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, but who failed to do so upon establishing a residence in Pennsylvania.
Brant was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2015. The government filed a plea agreement in the case. The indictment charged that Brant established a residence in Wilkes-Barre, but failed to register or update his sex offender registration information in Pennsylvania as required by the law.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Scranton and New York offices of the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.
The maximum possible penalties for the violation include 10 years’ incarceration, 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.
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