Ex-Army depot employee sentenced to 2 years for selling drugs
Senior U.S. District Judge Richard P. Conaboy sentenced a former Tobyhanna Army Depot employee this morning to two years in federal prison for selling marijuana, cocaine and crack to other employees of the Monroe County-based military parts repair facility.
Jerrold Hahn was immediately taken into federal custody after both the imposition of his sentence and pleading guilty this morning to selling drugs to 10 to 15 depot employees, assistant U.S. attorney John C. Gurganus Jr. said.
In federal court in Scranton, Judge Conaboy called Mr. Hahn's conduct "one of the most serious violations of security" in the history of the depot, which employees more than 4,000 workers and is the largest employer in the region.
"I was and still am disturbed," the senior justice told the 62-year-old Roaring Brook Twp. resident. "This was very serious matters in which you were involved with."
The depot repairs parts and builds new equipment for the U.S. military. In 2010, the facility had nearly $1 billion in revenue.
Mr. Gurganus said Mr. Hahn's network of depot customers bought the drugs from him off the grounds of the 1,296-acre facility in Coolbaugh Twp. and there was no indication of drug use at the depot.
Employed for 31 years, Mr. Hahn earned about $64,000 and was a program manager in charge of military sales, he told the judge.
The employees who purchased drugs from him have not been charged, Mr. Gurganus said. He declined to comment further about the investigation.
Mr. Hahn, 301 Donny Drive, cooperated with investigators and helped them identify the workers, Mr. Gurganus said.
Judge Conaboy agreed to impose a more lenient prison sentence - sentencing guidelines called for 30 to 37 months - because of his cooperation and no prior criminal record, the judge said.
He could have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors offered him the possibility of two years in prison in exchange for him divulging details about the extent of his drug dealing at the depot and also in exchange for agreeing to plead guilty, Mr. Gurganus and the judge said.
He made investigators aware of the "full scope of what was going on" at the depot, the judge said.
By pleading guilty to a criminal information, he waived his right to trial and avoided being indicted by a federal grand jury.
Standing before Judge Conaboy wearing an open collar blue and white striped dress shirt with his hands crossed in front of him, Mr. Hahn apologized to the judge in a gravely voice.
"I am very sorry for what I did, your honor," Mr. Hahn said.
After he serves his prison sentence, the judge ordered Mr. Hahn to serve three years of supervised released.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
