Department of Justice

PITTSBURGH, Pa - A resident of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to a charge of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Mitchell Thompson, 21, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on August 30, 2018, Thompson unlawfully possessed a Glock 9-millimeter pistol, after having been convicted of crimes punishable by more than one year in prison. Specifically, on August 30, 2018, law enforcement observed Mitchell take a black semi-automatic handgun from the front left side of his pants and attempt to discard the gun into a row of bushes next to the sidewalk. The gun did not go into the bushes, instead bouncing back onto the sidewalk. The magazine then fell from the gun. Thompson’s convictions include one conviction for a firearms violation and one conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for August 29, 2019. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Bureau and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wilkinsburg Police Department, conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. 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.