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 Jonathan Bishop, age 42, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 30, 2026, to 41 months’ imprisonment and a term of supervised release by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and methamphetamine. 

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Bishop previously admitted that between February of 2024, and June of 2025, he conspired with other members of the Jerrod Curtis Drug Trafficking Organization (“Curtis DTO”) to distribute quantities of cocaine base and methamphetamine, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.  

Seven additional co-conspirators either pled or were found guilty following a trial before Judge Saporito earlier this year. They include:

  • Jerrod Curtis, age 42, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and other drug trafficking crimes following a three-week trial in September of 2026.  Curtis is currently awaiting sentencing.
  • Paul Daniel Chavis, a/k/a “Payne”, age 57, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and other drug trafficking crimes following a three-week trial in September of 2026.  Chavis is currently awaiting sentencing.
  • Reneard Harris, age 68, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and other drug trafficking crimes following a three-week trial in September of 2026.  Harris is currently awaiting sentencing.
  • Carlos Vasquez, age 36, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment and a term of supervised release by Judge Saporito in September of 2026.
  • Leroy Scriven, a/k/a “L”, age 56, of Exeter, Pennsylvania, who previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and his currently awaiting sentencing.
  • Joshua Forrester-Westad, age 44, of Plains Township, Pennsylvania, who previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and is currently awaiting sentencing.
  • Pamela Montano, age 61, of Exeter, Pennsylvania, who previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment and a term of supervised release by Judge Saporito in September of 2026.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprised of agents and officers from Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department, the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Buchanan prosecuted the case.

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