Felon with Prior Drug and Domestic Violence Convictions Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to time served of approximately 33.5 months, and three years of supervised release on his conviction of federal firearms violations, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Kellan Hanner, age 29.

According to information presented to the court, on November 1, 2017, two Pittsburgh Police Officers were on patrol in the Hill District assisting in a call for a foot pursuit for a male with a firearm. The officers observed a group of three males, and noticed that one of them, later identified as Hanner, appeared to have a large weighted object in the front pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. The court was further informed that Hanner fled when the police officers attempted to question him, and that officers witnessed the defendant throwing a firearm into a sewer.  The firearm was later recovered. When apprehended by law enforcement, Hanner resisted arrest and also reached towards and pull at the officer’s firearm. Hanner has a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver heroin and prior misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and as such, is prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hanner. This case was brought under 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.