Lancaster County Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary of a Pharmacy and Firearm Offenses
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 4, 2019, Henry Morales, age 24, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab to conspiracy and burglary of a pharmacy, conspiracy and possession of stolen firearms, and possession of firearms as a convicted felon.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, on January 16, 2018, Morales and his three codefendants broke into the Medicine Shop in Lebanon and stole cough syrup and Viagra. Approximately thirty minutes later, the defendants then broke into the Horseshoe Pike Gunshop in Palmyra by throwing a cinder block through a glass window and stole twelve firearms and an antique firearm.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Lebanon and Palmyra Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney Scott R. Ford is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce crime.
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 for these offenses is 55 years of 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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