SCRANTON – The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has affirmed the sentence of Rodney Boomer, 43, currently serving a 17-year 7-month prison sentence for participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy in Monroe County in 2005. Boomer formerly resided in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, and operated a clothing store in the Poconos.

Boomer was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2006, as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Pennsylvania State Police, and Pocono Mountain Regional Police.

Boomer pleaded guilty on July 9, 2008, to conspiracy to distribute more than five grams of crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and cocaine. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik on October 20, 2008.

In appealing his sentence, Boomer claimed that the prison sentence of more than 17 years for drug trafficking was unreasonable. The Third Circuit Court ruled, however, that the sentence imposed by Judge Kosik “was both procedurally and substantively reasonable.”

Parole has been abolished, and Boomer will be required to serve at least 85% of his 211-month sentence, assuming he receives full time off for good behavior while incarcerated.
The Third Circuit Court also rejected Boomer’s claim that his guilty plea was involuntary.