Harrisburg Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm Offense

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Harrisburg man indicted by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg on firearm charges has pleaded guilty today to being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Christopher Fleisher, age 35, was previously charged in an indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm and with possessing a stolen firearm. The indictment alleged the offenses occurred on June 4, 2015 in Harrisburg and involved a stolen .38 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun. Fleisher agreed to plead guilty to the felon in possession charge pursuant to a plea agreement with the government. 

The case was investigated by the by the Harrisburg Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Harrisburg Police Department, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Office of Probation and Parole. Prosecution of the case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe.

This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP”), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes.

A sentence following a finding of guilt or plea of guilty 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 the crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years 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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