Luzerne County Resident Charged With Possession Of

Ammunition By A Convicted Felon And With Being A Fugitive From Justice

     The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a criminal Information has been filed against Stanley Backus, age 33, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania charging him with possession of a ammunition by a prohibited person.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Backus was previously convicted of four prior felonies and was wanted by Philadelphia County for a probation violation and a Meghan’s law registry violation. The offenses included the criminal Information filed Wednesday allegedly occurred in July 2011 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County.

     This case was the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Wilkes-Barre and Kingston Police Departments.

     Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amy C. Phillips.

     Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

     A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

     In this particular case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is 10 years’ 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.