Senior U.S. District Judge Richard P. Conaboy sentenced a former Tobyhanna Army Depot worker on Tuesday to two years in federal prison for selling marijuana, cocaine and crack to employees of the Monroe County-based military facility.
Jerrold Hahn was immediately taken into custody Tuesday after pleading guilty to selling drugs to 10 to 15 depot employees.
Judge Conaboy called Mr. Hahn's conduct "one of the most serious violations of security" in the history of the depot, which employs more than 4,000 workers and is one of the largest employers in Northeast Pennsylvania.
"I was and still am disturbed," the senior judge told the 62-year-old Mr. Hahn.
The depot repairs and builds electronic equipment for the military. In 2010, the facility had nearly $1 billion in revenue.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus Jr. said Mr. Hahn's customers bought drugs from him off the grounds of the 1,296-acre facility in Coolbaugh Twp. and there was no indication of drug use at the depot.
Depot spokesman Ed Mickley declined to comment.
Employed for 31 years, Mr. Hahn earned about $64,000 annually and was a program manager in charge of military sales.
He retired last year, and was arrested in November.
The FBI investigated the case.
The employees who bought drugs from Mr. Hahn have not been charged, said Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus Jr. He declined to elaborate.
Mr. Hahn, 301 Donny Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., cooperated with investigators and helped them identify his drug customers, who mostly bought marijuana from him, Mr. Gurganus said.
Judge Conaboy agreed to impose a more lenient prison sentence - guidelines called for 30 to 37 months - because of his cooperation and no prior criminal record. Mr. Hahn could have faced a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors offered him the possibility of two years in prison in exchange for details about the extent of his drug dealing at the depot and agreeing to plead guilty, Mr. Gurganus and the judge said.
By pleading guilty, Mr. Hahn waived his right to trial and avoided being indicted by a federal grand jury.
Standing before Judge Conaboy wearing an open-collared, blue-and-white-striped dress shirt with his hands crossed in front of him, Mr. Hahn apologized to the judge in a gravelly voice.
"I am very sorry for what I did, your honor," Mr. Hahn said.
After he serves his prison sentence, the judge ordered him to serve three years of supervised release.
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