Press Release
Pittsburgh Heroin Dealer Sentenced to 10+ Years in Prison for New Violations of Federal Drug and Firearms Laws
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH – John Burton was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months (130 months) in prison for committing fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine-trafficking and firearm crimes while on supervised release following a prior federal conviction for heroin trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Burton, age 32, of Pittsburgh, was sentenced by United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. Earlier this year, Burton pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, on August 26, 2019.
Burton was previously convicted in federal court in 2012 for conspiring to distribute heroin. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison at that time. Burton was on federal supervised release from that sentence in 2019 when he committed the additional fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine-trafficking and firearm crimes. Judge Schwab imposed a 12-month consecutive prison sentence for the violation of his release conditions.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Pittsburgh Police Bureau of Police, the United States Marshals Service, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation leading to the conviction and sentence in this case.
This case was prosecuted as 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.
Updated December 22, 2020
Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses
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