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 on December 16, 2019, United States District Court Judge James M. Munley sentenced Donald Fritz, Jr., age 48, of Palmerton, Pennsylvania to 100 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release, for crystal methamphetamine trafficking and for possessing firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking offense.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Fritz sold crystal methamphetamine in the Palmerton area in June and July 2015.  During a search warrant executed at Fritz’s residence, law enforcement recovered over one kilogram of high-purity crystal methamphetamine, six firearms and associated ammunition, an explosive device, $1,200 in counterfeit currency, and over $29,000 in cash, all of which was seized and forfeited.  The forfeited firearms were:

  1. Taurus .357 magnum;
  2. Walther PPK .380 ACP;
  3. Hi Point Model JCP .40 caliber, bearing a defaced serial number;
  4. Heritage .17 caliber revolver;
  5. Marlin .22 caliber rifle; and
  6. Traditions .50 caliber inline muzzleloader.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.  Assistant United States Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo 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. The Department of Justice 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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