The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 43-year-old Erie, Pennsylvania resident was sentenced today in Scranton by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley to serve 100 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, James Presley, previously admitted to possessing a 9mm handgun and ammunition while driving a vehicle on Interstate 80 near Hazleton on May 15, 2014. At the time he possessed the firearm and ammunition, Presley had prior felony convictions, including a conviction for murder in 1992 in Philadelphia. Presley served 13 years in prison for the murder.
Presley was charged in an Information filed by the United States Attorney on July 15, 2014, as a result of an investigation by Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Judge Munley also ordered Presley to spend two years on supervised release following his prison sentence, and to pay a $100 special assessment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
