Pittsburgh Felon Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Federal Violations
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to four years and 10 months incarceration for his convictions of violating federal firearms laws and violating the terms of his supervised release, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed a 46-month prison sentence on Deondre Steave, 26, for violating firearms laws. Judge Bissoon also imposed 12-month sentence of incarceration to run consecutively to the 46-month sentence because the defendant violated the conditions of his supervised release in two other federal prosecutions of Steave.
According to the information presented to the court, the court was advised that on or about September 28, 2017, Steave, an individual with prior felony convictions for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin and Escaping from Federal Custody, did knowingly and unlawfully possess a Kahr CW .40 caliber pistol and ammunition. 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
The United States Attorney commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Steave.
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