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Press Release

McKees Rocks Felon Sentenced for Possessing a Handgun

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 12 months and one day of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release and 180 days of home detention on his conviction of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Gamale Vaughn, 46.

According to information presented to the court, on June 12, 2019, McKees Rocks Police Department executed a search warrant on the defendant’s residence. Hidden within a boot in a spare bedroom, officers found a Springfield Armory .45 caliber handgun which had been reported stolen to the Forest Hills Police Department in September of 2016. The defendant was present during the search. Following a waiver of his rights, the defendant admitted that the recovered firearm was his. The Court was further advised that the defendant was previously convicted of a felony drug trafficking offense in Allegheny County. As a convicted felon, the defendant is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

This case is 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.

United States Attorney Chung commended the McKees Rocks Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Vaughn.

Updated February 23, 2022

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses