HARRISBURG — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eugene Stallings, Jr., age 28, of Baltimore was sentenced today to 252 months (21 years) imprisonment by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner in Harrisburg. This sentence follows Stallings’ February 5, 2016 conviction for heroin trafficking that resulted in the death of 21 year old Kyle Golter that occurred in February 2014.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, on February 5, 2016, a Harrisburg jury returned a guilty verdict to all five counts on the Superseding Indictment relating to Stallings after less than 2 hours of deliberation. Eugene Stallings, Jr., aka Bruno, sold heroin to Ashley Gries, Danny Forrester, Gabriel Stouffer, and Michael DeCarlo between October 2013 and April 2014. Gries, Forrester and Stouffer traveled from the Shippensburg, PA area to purchase heroin from Stallings in Baltimore, and then engaged in heroin trafficking in Franklin and Cumberland Counties. Heroin obtained from Stallings by the co-defendants led to the death of Golter in Shippensburg on February 7, 2014.
A federal conviction for drug trafficking that results in death carries an enhanced penalty requiring a mandatory minimum 20 years’ imprisonment. Gries, Forrester, Stouffer and DeCarlo have pleaded guilty for their roles in the drug trafficking organization.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Shippensburg Police Department, and the Cumberland County Drug Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith A. Taylor and Scott Ford.
This 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, 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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