Felon with 13 Prior Convictions Sentenced to 7½ Years’ Imprisonment for Illegally Possessing Handgun and Ammunition
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of seven years and six months to be followed by three years of supervised release on his conviction of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Darnell James Shipman, age 29.
Previously, in connection with Shipman’s guilty plea, the court was advised that on or about May 2, 2018, Shipman unlawfully possessed a Canik 9-millimeter pistol and ammunition after having been convicted of multiple crimes punishable by more than one year in prison. Shipman’s prior convictions included 13 offenses in seven different cases between 2010 and 2018. Federal law prohibits an individual with any felony convictions from possessing a firearm or ammunition. The court was specifically advised that on May 2, 2018, Pittsburgh Police arrested Shipman on outstanding warrants and recovered the Canik pistol and 17 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition in the center console of a vehicle he was driving.
Assistant United States Attorney David Lew prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shipman.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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