Local Felon Charged with Illegal Possession of a Firearm

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of violating federal firearms law, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

The one-count Indictment named Tyler Goodnight, age 23, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, on November 27, 2020, Goodnight was found to be in possession of a firearm. Goodnight is prohibited to possess a firearm due to a previous conviction.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, or a combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) 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.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.