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 Federico Rosario, age 30, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was convicted on November 18, 2024, for the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death following a four-day jury trial before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Rosario was a drug dealer residing in Scranton in 2021.  On August 11, 2021, Rosario sold a mixture containing fentanyl and cocaine to a 17-year-old who ingested the mixture and died shortly thereafter.  Rosario was also found guilty of three additional sales of cocaine to the same victim that occurred on July 10th, July 13th, and July 28th, 2021. 

During the four-day trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented the testimony of 19 witnesses, including expert witness testimony from a forensic pathologist, a forensic toxicologist, two forensic chemists, a forensic cell phone examiner, a DNA expert, and an expert in drug trafficking investigations.

The charges stem from a joint investigation conducted by the Scranton Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Sarah R. Lloyd.

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 to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

In this case, maximum penalty under the federal statute for drug distribution resulting in death is life imprisonment. The offense also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment. 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.

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