Allentown has seen its share of street-level terror, but Francisco Cruz-Pica, a/k/a “Javi,” 38, took it further — flooding neighborhoods with heroin, packing a machine gun, and operating within 1,000 feet of a public school. Now, he’s paying the price: 10 years in federal prison, eight years of supervised release, and a $1,200 fine.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Schmehl handed down the sentence after Cruz-Pica pleaded guilty in January 2020 to an 11-count Indictment. Charges included distribution of heroin near a school, maintaining a drug house, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, and using a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime — all committed while the defendant was on supervised release for a prior federal firearms felony in Puerto Rico.
‘This defendant clearly has no respect for the law or for the Allentown community,’ said U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. ‘Not only did he illegally possess multiple firearms and deal drugs near a school – a place that is supposed to be a safe haven for children – but he did so while on supervised release for a previous felony conviction.’
Cruz-Pica wasn’t just a dealer — he was a known figure in Allentown’s underground drug trade. Federal and local authorities had long tracked his movements, but the coordinated takedown by the FBI’s Allentown Resident Office, Allentown Police Department, and Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office finally brought him down. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Lewis Fallenstein.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin praised the investigation: ‘I commend the Allentown Resident Office of the FBI and the Allentown Police Department on their investigation, which has enabled an effective prosecution by the U.S. Attorney and has resulted in a dangerous criminal being taken off the streets of our community.’
Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, didn’t mince words: ‘Cruz-Pica illegally armed himself to the teeth as he flooded the streets of Allentown with drugs. All while on supervised release imposed for an earlier gun crime. Today’s sentence, obtained through the efforts of the FBI and our partners on the Lehigh Valley Safe Streets Task Force, ensures this repeat offender and threat to public safety remains behind bars for some time.’
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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