James R. Bell, Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Pennsylvania 2021

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania – In a devastating blow to the opioid epidemic, James R. Bell, a 30-year-old man from Newark, New Jersey, was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for conspiring to distribute controlled substances resulting in death.

According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Bell previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin within the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which resulted in the death of a 22-year-old Monroe County man in April 2018.

The investigation into Bell's activities was a joint effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Scranton, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of a district-wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic of heroin and fentanyl distribution. The Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin-related offenses.

This case is also 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 U.S. Attorney's Office has reinvigorated PSN as part of a renewed focus on targeting violent criminals and 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.

James R. Bell, a 30-year-old man from Newark, New Jersey, was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment for conspiring to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. The crime occurred in the Middle District of Pennsylvania in April 2018.

Bell's sentence is a significant blow to the opioid epidemic and a testament to the hard work of law enforcement agencies in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The Heroin Initiative and Project Safe Neighborhoods will continue to work together to reduce violent crime and make our communities safer.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/new-jersey-man-sentenced-240-months-imprisonment-conspiracy-distribute-controlled