Pittsburgh Felon Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 30 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Monte Barry, 22.

According to information presented to the court, Barry unlawfully possessed a Taurus, Model PT 24/7 G2, 9mm handgun that was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition. The Court was further informed that Barry was previously convicted in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County of robbery, robbery of a motor vehicle, and other crimes, and was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in state prison and had been released on parole less than three months beforehand. Barry’s prior convictions deem him a person who is prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law, and as such, the defendant was also ordered to forfeit the firearm charged in the instant offense.

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 Wilkinsburg Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Barry.

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