Jury Returns Guilty Verdict For Williamsport Woman Accused Of Selling Cocaine To Informants
It is difficult to look on the bright side when you are being charged with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy, but you can at least be reassured that it is not entirely your fault. There are at least some parts of the operation in which you had no role. Your defense strategy might involve casting doubt on the allegations that your role in the drug trafficking operation was what prosecutors say it was, even though you leave open the possibility that you participated in other ways. Remember that defendants in criminal cases do not have to prove that they didn’t do it or that they are innocent in every sense of the word. The jury must acquit you of a criminal charge if there is reasonable doubt about whether any of the elements of the charge you are facing apply in your situation. If that still sounds too risky, you can take the path that most defendants follow, which is pleading guilty; in drug conspiracy cases, prosecutors are often willing to reduce your charges if you do this, but testifying against co-defendants might be part of the deal. For help weighing your options regarding plea deals and defense strategies in drug cases, contact a Pittsburgh drug crime lawyer.
Is It Worse If You Testify Against Co-Defendants or If They Testify Against You?
More than 90 percent of defendants in criminal cases plead guilty, and most of them do not have to testify against other defendants to get their sentences reduced. If prosecutors ask you to cooperate with an investigation, it might simply be a matter of letting them search your devices, or you might have to act as an informant by wearing a wire in your interactions with others whom police suspect of drug trafficking involvement. When people act as confidential informants, it is not out of a desire to betray their former friends, but rather to avoid the harsh penalties they would face if convicted at trial. If you would rather risk a conviction at trial than risk turning against people who trusted you, you always have the right to plead not guilty and advance defenses that undermine the evidence presented by the prosecution, even if that evidence is testimony by your former accomplices.
In the News
Holly Jean Carey of Williamsport was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, along with several other lesser charges, at a jury trial in March 2025. Two of the prosecution witnesses were confidential informants who bought cocaine from Carey and sold them to undercover agents. Carey, 50, went by the pseudonym Bella in her drug trafficking interactions. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 2025.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for possession of illegal drugs with intent to deliver. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Source:
northcentralpa.com/news/cocaine-gram-found-guilty-on-all-counts/article_62ad890f-2030-4be9-9728-dca55e1b76b0.html
