Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Firearms Law

PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months of time served and three years of supervised release (the first 180 days in home detention) on his conviction of violating federal firearms law, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Matthew Michanowicz, 53, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA 15211.

According to information presented to the court, on May 31, 2020, Michanowicz knowingly and unlawfully possessed firearms, that is, three destructive devices, which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Specifically, Michanowicz admitted that, on or about May 31, 2020, he placed three, unregistered homemade destructive devices in a camouflage backpack at 2 PNC Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh.

Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Michanowicz.