SCRANTON: The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Arless R. Leito, age 37, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was indicted on December 14, 2021, by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Leito possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl on November 17, 2021, in Wilkes-Barre. The indictment also alleges that Leito possessed a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic handgun during and in relation to his drug trafficking activities and after being previously convicted of a felony offense.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.”
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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