Lackawanna County Woman Found Guilty Of Drug Distribution Resulting In Death

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that Holly Kaszuba, age 45, of Dickson City, was found guilty of unlawfully distributing a controlled substance resulting in the death of another person after a five-day trial before Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo. 

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, jurors deliberated for approximately two hours before rendering the guilty verdict against Kaszuba for the December 13, 2015 death of Christopher Graff, age 30, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented the testimony of Dr. Gary Ross, Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Michael Coyer, Forensic Toxicologist, and Dr. Stacey Hail, an expert in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology.  All three opined that fentanyl laced heroin caused the death of Christopher Graff.  Additional testimony was provided by Dunmore Police Detectives and other individuals related to the investigation who testified that Kaszuba arranged and facilitated the distribution of the fentanyl laced heroin to Christopher Graff that ultimately caused his death.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Scranton Office, the Dunmore and Scranton Police Departments, the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, the Lackawanna County Office of Probation/Parole, and the Coroner’s Office of Lackawanna County.  Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Olshefski and Daryl Bloom prosecuted the case.

This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and other opioids. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin and opioid 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 part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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 law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The maximum penalty under federal law is life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The drug distribution resulting in death charge also carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. 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.          

# # #