Pittsburgh Felon Convicted of Drug and Firearms Violations Sentenced to 8½ Years in Prison
PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of eight years and five months (102 months) in prison and six years’ supervised release, following his conviction of federal drug and firearms violations, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Lamont Willis, 47.
According to information presented to the court, on March 8, 2017, Pittsburgh Police executed a search warrant at Willis’s residence following a series of anonymous complaints of suspected drug trafficking and seized numerous items, including: cocaine, crack, cutting agents, drug trafficking paraphernalia, four firearms, and ammunition. Willis was apprehended the next day and was later indicted for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On May 3, 3019, Willis pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charge and to possessing the firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime; additionally, Willis accepted responsibility for possessing firearms after being convicted of drug and firearms violations punishable by more than one year in prison. The Court was further informed that, as a convicted felon, Willis is subject to enhanced penalties.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and North Strabane Township Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Willis.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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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