Convicted Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms while on Federal Supervised Release

PITTSBURGH – Brandin Gardner was sentenced today for illegally possessing firearms while on federal supervised release following prior felony convictions for heroin trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Gardner, age 23 of Pittsburgh, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge David S. Cercone to a combined sentence of 3½ years (42 months) in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing firearms following prior felony convictions and violating the terms of his supervised release.

Gardner was convicted in 2014 in Pennsylvania state court for possessing heroin with intent to distribute. In 2016, he was convicted in federal court for conspiring to distribute heroin while on probation following the prior state heroin conviction. In 2018, he was indicted and convicted in federal court for possessing a Glock 27 semi-automatic pistol and a Smith & Wesson M & P semi-automatic pistol.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

The United States Probation Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the conviction and sentence in this case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) which is 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.