Harrisburg Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Stolen Gun

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Tommy Lee Phillips, age 30, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pled guilty on October 29, 2018, before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson for being a felon in possession of a stolen handgun.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, on October 10, 2017, Harrisburg Police responded to a call of a man with a gun at a Harrisburg bar. When officers responded, they observed Phillips on the street near the bar. After running from police, officers arrested Phillips and found near where he was arrested a stolen .380 caliber handgun.  Phillips was previously convicted in federal court for robbery, therefore he was prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.

No sentencing date has been scheduled as of yet.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Harrisburg Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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 these offenses 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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