web1_degrom.jpg

deGrom gets clean bill of health

web1_TTL040919Baldino1.jpg

After 28 years opining on local politics, Tom Baldino retiring from Wilkes U.

<p>Ahead of Tuesday&#8217;s sentencing for John &#8220;Jake&#8221; Hasay on illegally possessing a machine gun, the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office notified the court it opposed a break for the Hunlock Creek man due to a reported mental health condition.</p><p>Hasay, who has been in federal custody for eight months since authorities looked into his alleged white supremacist group ties, would be better served with psychiatric treatment than more prison time, his attorney argued last week seeking a reduction from the guideline range of 24 to 30 months imprisonment.</p><p>But Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo countered Hasay&#8217;s mental and emotional conditions fell short of the standard that would warrant the requested downward departure to eight to 14 months in prison.</p><p>A pre-sentence report done by the U.S. Probation Office described Hasay, 22, as &#8220;a relatively talented and functional individual who benefited from a privileged upbringing,&#8221; Caraballo said in an April 19 letter to U.S. District Judge James M. Munley in Scranton.</p><p>Caraballo included that Hasay graduated from high school, attended some college and made an attempt at military service. He also said Hasay learned Arabic, has been able to hold a job and members of the community and friends described him as a polite and normal young man in their letters of support to the judge.</p><p>&#8220;Certainly, he knew full well the nature of his criminal activities when he imported illegal firearms components by smuggling them through Customs officials, installed auto-sears (parts to convert a weapon to shoot automatically) and suppressors on his firearms, and sawed off the barrels of other long guns,&#8221; Caraballo said in his opposition to leniency for the son of former District Justice John Hasay of Shickshinny.</p><p>An appropriate sentence would be in the guideline range and include &#8220;a component of psychological evaluation and treatment as part of any term of imprisonment or supervised release,&#8221; Caraballo said.</p><p>Hasay pleaded guilty in January to a felony charge of illegally possessing a machine gun. He converted a Glock model 19 handgun to fire automatically with a single trigger pull. He has agreed to forfeit the weapon as well as other firearms used for target practice and ammunition federal authorities seized from his parents&#8217; home in August 2018.</p><p>Federal investigators focused on Hasay last year after he posted anti-Semitic and racists jokes and comments on social media and stated he would commit a hate crime. They later determined he was not a member of a white supremacist group, said his attorney Al Flora Jr. of Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Flora sought a reduced sentence for Hasay that could result in him being placed on home confinement or supervised release. Flora said Hasay was not a danger to anyone and showed a &#8220;fascination with guns&#8221; that could be attributed to him having a component of Asperger&#8217;s Disorder. </p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Hasay-AK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hasay </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Hasay-AK-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hasay </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Federal prosecutor opposes reduced sentence for Luzerne County man who had machine gun