SCRANTON , PENNSYLVANIA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jessica Hernandez-Boria, age 40, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on December 9, 2020, to 102 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for her involvement in a conspiracy that distributed approximately three kilograms of cocaine.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Hernandez-Boria previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute approximately three kilograms cocaine throughout Hazleton, Luzerne County, between September 2018 and February 2019. Hernandez-Boria also admitted to arming herself with a .40 caliber Glock firearm in furtherance of her drug trafficking activities.
Hernandez-Boria’s conviction and sentence resulted from a federal investigation which focused on the defendant’s residence in Hazleton where she frequently received large packages containing cocaine via the U.S. Mail from a source located in Puerto Rico. Hernandez-Boria delivered the packages to other drug dealers and was paid cash for her role in the conspiracy.
Judge Mariani also ordered Hernandez-Boria to serve four years of supervised release following her prison sentence. In addition to the firearm, federal agents also seized approximately $5,750 in cash from Hernandez-Boria at the time of her arrest, which was forfeited as a resulted of her prosecution.
The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted 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.