A former businessman and restaurant owner in Hopatcong, NJ was sentenced to five years behind bars for distributing heroin in Morris and Sussex counties.
Last October, the defendant pleaded guilty to second degree charges of conspiracy to possess heroin with the intent to distribute. The defendant was actually just one of seven people charged in the case. Thus far, five of the defendants have pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors said that the defendant admitted to selling 1,900 folds of heroin. Prosecutors also said that the defendant had 500 fold of heroin in his possession at the time of his arrest.
When he initially entered his guilty plea, the defendant agreed to a five-year sentence. However, he later tried to renege on the agreement and seek a lighter sentence.
At sentencing in the Morris County Superior Court in Morristown, the 56-year-old defendant told the judge that he was not selling the drugs for profit; rather, he was engaged in the purchase and sale of drugs because he was trying to “help” his 30-year-old female friend kick her drug addiction.
Not surprisingly, the defendant’s claims of having noble intentions were not well-received by the superior court judge. Although the defendant’s attorney requested a lighter sentence from the court, the judge imposed the agreed-upon sentence.
The defendant is scheduled to spend at least the next 20 months in New Jersey State Prison. However, his attorney said that he plans to file for admission into the state’s Intensive Supervision Program. If he is admitted into the program, he could be eligible for release at an earlier date.
To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Hopatcong Restaurateur Gets 5 Years in Heroin after Attorney Explains His Motivations.“
