Felon with Drugs and Gun Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison

PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Westmoreland and Washington Counties in southwestern Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to six years (72 months) in prison on his conviction of federal drug and firearms offenses, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy M. Bissoon imposed the sentence on Laurenti James Robertson, 28, of Monessen and Venetia, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, Robertson was stopped in a rental car on October 19, 2015, and found to be in possession of 158 stamp bags of heroin and $1,315.00 in cash. Five days later, on October 24, 2015, Robertson was stopped in a different vehicle and found to be in possession of 15 stamp bags of heroin and a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Robertson is precluded from possessing a firearm as a result of his separate 2013 felony convictions for Robbery and Theft. Federal law prohibits a felon from lawfully possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Robertson and acknowledged the many law enforcement agencies that provided valuable assistance, including the Canonsburg Police Department, the Monessen Police Department, The Pennsylvania State Police, the Charleroi Police Department, the Homestead Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.