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 Angela Lucke, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on March 8, 2017, before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to unlawfully providing firearms to a convicted felon.

 

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Lucke admitted to giving three guns to convicted heroin dealer, Ariel Varsanyi of New York. Lucke purchased the guns for Varsanyi because he was barred as a felon from buying guns himself.

 

Lucke previously pleaded guilty in Lackawanna County Court in July 2016, to a charge of falsely reporting the firearms as stolen from her residence, and was sentenced in October 2016, to two years’ probation.

 

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dunmore Borough Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.

 

This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP”), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes with firearms.

 

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 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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