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Press Release

Mahoning Valley man face federal firearms charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

Two men from the Mahoning Valley face federal firearms charges, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio

Indicted are Chance D. Wells, 25, of Warren, and Arian O’Connor, 38, of Youngstown. Both are charged with being a felon in possession of firearms in unrelated cases.

Wells possessed a Ruger, Model P85 MKII, 9mm pistol, and a Mossberg, Model 146B, .22 caliber rifle, and ammunition, on September 4, 2015, despite prior convictions for conspiracy to distribute heroin and failure to comply, according to the indictment.

O'Connor, also known as Noble Bullhorn Sirius O’Connor Bay, possessed a Maddi Company, Model Arm, 7.62 rifle on or about August 12, 2015, O’Connor, despite prior convictions for felonoius assault and two convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the indictment.     

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer following investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Youngstown Police Department and the U.S. Probation Office.  

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated November 4, 2015

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods