PITTSBURGH - After deliberating for less than an hour, a federal jury of four men and eight women found James H. Anthony guilty of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g), United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Anthony was tried before Senior United States District Judge Donetta Ambrose in Pittsburgh, Pa.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Barbara K. Doolittle, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that, on Sept. 25, 2011, Anthony possessed a Rossi.38 special revolver with an obliterated serial number. The firearm had been reported stolen years earlier by the Ligonier Township Police Department in Westmoreland County. Anthony was found to be in possession of the gun at his home in Fawn Township, Allegheny County, despite his inability to lawfully possess any firearm as a result of a prior felony conviction.
Judge Ambrose scheduled sentencing for March 27, 2014. Because the defendant has three previous convictions for a violent felony or a serious drug offense, or both, the law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison up to a maximum of life imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant, but cannot be less than 15 years in this instance.
Pending sentencing, the court continued the defendant’s house arrest.
The Fawn Township Police Department, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the ATF conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of James Anthony.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
