JOHNSTOWN – A resident of Clearfield pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced Monday.
Dennis James Rauch, 38, pleaded guilty to counts two and seven of the superseding indictment before Senior U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, from July of 2019 to June of 2020, Rauch conspired to distribute five grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
Further, in and around March of 2020, Rauch possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Gibson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 7, 2024.
The law provides for a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000 or both at count two, and a minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, at count seven.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Rauch.
Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.