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 on May 11, 2018, United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Pablo Martinez, age 28, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, to 150 months’ imprisonment for a shooting that occurred in East Stroudsburg on January 12, 2016.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Martinez pled guilty to the discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence.  Martinez admitted that he was part of a conspiracy to rob a fellow drug dealer, lured to a meeting under the guise of a marijuana deal.  Martinez and co-conspirators waited in a pickup truck until the victim entered the front passenger seat, then sped off.  During the ensuing altercation, Martinez shot the victim twice, and the victim was thrown from the truck at speed, suffering severe injuries.  Martinez was a member of the Brick City Brims, a violent street gang involved in drug trafficking and other criminal activity in the East Stroudsburg area.

Two codefendants, Deshaun Lipscomb and Orrett Campbell, have pled guilty to felony charges and are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Stroud Area Regional Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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