North Side Man Sentenced to More than 4 Years in Prison for Possessing Heroin and Crack near a Public Housing Development

PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 50 months imprisonment and six years supervised release on his conviction of possession with intent to distribute heroin within 1000 feet of Allegheny Commons, a Pittsburgh Public Housing Authority development, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on William Thomas, 38, formerly of Pittsburgh's North Side.

According to information presented to the Court, on June 9, 2018, at approximately 3:20 am, a City of Pittsburgh police officer noticed a vehicle parked along the side of the road with engine running in the area of Belleau Drive and Belleau Street in North Side Pittsburgh. As the officer approached the vehicle to check on the occupants, the officer smelled marijuana emanating from the vehicle and observed a marijuana cigar in the ashtray of the center console of the vehicle. The two individuals in the vehicle appeared to be unconscious and were initially unresponsive to the officer calling out to them and knocking on the window. After the occupants awakened and exited the vehicle, officers located three unopened, paper-wrapped bricks of heroin on Thomas’ person as well as a quantity of cocaine base, commonly referred to as crack. Officers searched the vehicle and located, in the center console, a stolen Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine and one bullet in the chamber. Thomas also had $169 as well as a cell phone, which contained drug trafficking communications with several of Thomas’ drug customers, including communications wherein he instructed drug customers to meet him at Belleau Drive.

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

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Thomas.