BOSTON – A Colombian man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to drug and immigration charges.
Leonardo Franco, 45, a Colombian national who resided in Worcester, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of illegal re-entry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Aug. 4, 2017.
On Nov. 3, 2016, Franco was traveling to Oxford, Mass., with the intent of selling cocaine to another individual - an individual to whom Franco had previously sold cocaine. Law enforcement confronted Franco and found him in possession of more than a half-pound of cocaine contained in several clear baggies.
Franco was convicted of illegal re-entry of a deported alien in 2011 and was subsequently deported from the United States. Franco had previously been removed from the United States on three other occasions, including twice in 2010. Sometime after his removal in 2011, Franco illegally re-entered the United States again.
The charging statute for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charging statute for illegal re-entry provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Franco will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely of Weinreb’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.