“[Joshua] Eisnor was responsible for protecting the Malden community. Instead, he dishonored his noble profession,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollin
By Flint McColgan Boston Herald Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
MALDEN, Mass. — The Malden firefighter who pleaded guilty earlier this year to dealing drugs, including at his fire station, has been sentenced to five years of probation.
Joshua Eisnor, 43, of North Reading, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston this summer to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was charged with the crime just a month before.
U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin on Tuesday sentenced Eisnor to five years of probation, a $2,000 fine and to forfeit $900, which is the total amount he made, according to the plea agreement, from dealing the drugs including Oxycodone, Adderall and Klonopin to other Malden firefighters, both while on duty and off duty.
“As a firefighter, Mr. Eisnor was responsible for protecting the Malden community. Instead, he dishonored his noble profession and sold drugs while on duty,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins in a statement following the sentencing.
Joseph Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office, added that “it is dishonorable for a firefighter to break the law and breach the trust of his community that he took an oath to protect.”
At the time of his plea, prosecutors recommended a sentence of 90 days in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Sorokin appeared to agree with Eisnor’s defense attorney who, in a Dec. 1 sentencing memo, asked for only probation, citing Eisnor’s acknowledgment of his wrongdoing and acceptance of responsibility even before the plea agreement.
“Admittedly, the present case stems from poor judgment and drug addiction for which Eisnor has admitted and understands the wrongfulness of his conduct,” attorney Stephen Neyman wrote, adding that this was Eisnor’s “only significant encounter with the criminal justice system” other than minor charges from when he was a teenager.