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Grotto Pizza, Geisinger sued by parents of girl sickened by ‘gluten-free’ pie

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Theft of over $1,000 worth of property reported on Huston Street

<p>SCRANTON &#8212; A federal grand jury indicted seven people on Aug. 9 for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to sell the drug alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (a-pvp), commonly referred to as &#8220;bath salts,&#8221; according to the United States Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.</p><p>The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday following the arrests of the defendants, prosecutors said in a news release.</p><p>Prosecutors identified those charged as: William Wylie, 47, Wilkes-Barre, Jason Randazzo, 42, Mountain Top, Daniel Fitzgibbons, 46, Wilkes-Barre, Robert Benussi III, 25, Kingston, Kerry Wylie, 24, Wilkes-Barre, Kevin Peterson, 32, West Pittston, and David Popish, 37, Pittston.</p><p>Prosecutors said William Wylie, Kerry Wylie and Jason Randazzo were also charged with conspiring to import a-pvp from China, and attempting to possess the drug with intent to distribute it on Dec. 21, 2015.</p><p>William Wylie is also charged with possessing a firearm in connection with drug trafficking, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, prosecutors said.</p><p>The indictment alleges the defendants obtained the bath salts from suppliers in China and distributed it to customers in Luzerne County and elsewhere from March 2014 to January 2016, officials said. The grand jury also found that the conspirators used violence, intimidation, and possessed firearms in furtherance of the drug trafficking activities, prosecutors said.</p><p>The U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office said the charges, which are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa, were the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police.</p><p>Prosecutors said William Wylie faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the firearms related to drug trafficking charge, up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the felon in possession of a firearm charge, and up to 20 years in prison on each of the conspiracy counts.</p><p>Kerry Wylie and Jason Randazzo each face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of the conspiracy charges, prosecutors said. The remaining defendants face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on a conspiracy charge, according to prosecutors.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Feds charge 7 Luzerne County residents in ‘bath salts’ conspiracy case