Berwick Man Indicted On Firearms Charges

HARRISBURG -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on September 14, 2021, Colton Oppel, 30, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on firearms charges.

According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that in January 2020, Oppel, who is prohibited from possessing firearms based on prior convictions, possessed 25 firearms including handguns, rifles and shotguns, including a firearm with an obliterated serial number and a sawed-off shotgun.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Briar Creek Police Department and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for each count is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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