Gun Store Burglar Goes Back To Federal Prison

PITTSBURGH - A Westmoreland County resident has been sentenced in federal court to an additional 12 months and one day of incarceration as a result of violating the federal supervised release on his prior federal conviction, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Alan Bloch imposed the sentence yesterday on Aaron Booker and added nearly three years of supervision to follow this latest incarceration.

According to information previously presented to the court, in 2009 the defendant was among a group of individuals who broke the front window at a New Kensington firearms dealer and stole 11 pistols and three assault rifles. Booker was originally sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for that incident, and then violated his supervision by assaulting a female victim. Booker was sentenced to “time served” in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas for the assault and faced an additional sentence from Judge Bloch for committing the crime while on supervision following his release from federal prison.

Prior to imposing the new sentence for the supervision violation, Judge Bloch listened to the victim’s statement regarding the sexual nature of the assault and considered the seriousness of that incident.

Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Hickton noted that since firearms dealers are federally licensed, the burglary of the gun store was investigated by federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) who quickly identified and arrested Booker and his co-conspirators. U.S. Attorney Hickton also noted that Booker was prosecuted for the assault by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office with the assistance of the local police department from the victim’s neighborhood.