Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that Megan Fox, age 31, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison on February 20, 2018, by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley, for conspiring with others to distribute heroin in Luzerne County during February through November 2014.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Fox previously admitted to helping Desmond Mercer, the leader of the conspiracy, run his heroin trafficking operation while Mercer was incarcerated in the Luzerne County Prison. Fox admitted to involvement in the distribution and possession with intent to distribute of between 700 grams and 1 kilogram of heroin, which is approximately equivalent to between 28,000 and 40,000 retail bags of heroin.

Desmond Mercer, the leader of the drug conspiracy, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Shaliek Stroman and Shaquan Murphy, two key associates of Mercer, were each sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for their roles in the conspiracy. Another member of the drug ring, Antuan Jamison, was sentenced to five years in prison. In all, ten defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the case.

Judge Munley also ordered Fox to forfeit her interest in $15,948 and a Buick vehicle that were seized during the investigation. Fox must also serve three years on supervised release following her prison sentence.

Fox was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2014, as a result of an investigation by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, and Kingston Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin 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 was also brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

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