Lynn man sentenced to 3 years in prison for dealing drugs

SALEM – A Lynn man caught peddling OxyCodone on Chestnut Street last March was sentenced to three years in state prison, to be followed by two years of probation.William Mondello, 51, of 47 Sylvia St., pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon in Salem Superior Court to charges of distribution of OxyCodone as well as possession with the intent to distribute OxyCodone.Judge Timothy Q. Feeley agreed to follow the sentence recommendation of Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Kirshenbaum and defense lawyer Thomas Pierce.Kirshenbaum described how on March 29 around 5:30 p.m., Lynn Police Detective Paul Holey saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand drug deal inside a Toyota Highlander on Chestnut Street. As Holey began to move in, he observed the back seat passenger, later identified as Mondello, toss a bag. Police retrieved the bag that contained 23 OxyCodone tablets.An additional four pills were seized from the buyer who told police he had just bought them from Mondello. Police also seized $1,670 in cash from Mondello, believed to be proceeds from drug sales.The judge ordered that Mondello be evaluated for substance abuse treatment and counseling as deemed necessary by probation as well as random drug screenings while being supervised upon his release from state prison.Mondello was indicted by an Essex County grand jury last May.The judge credited Mondello the 211 days he has spent in jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail while awaiting trial.