SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Shakur Brownstein, age 20, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley to a term of 84 months’ imprisonment for brandishing firearms in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, on June 27, 2017, Brownstein brandished a Smith & Wesson revolver and a stolen Smithfield semi-automatic handgun during an argument at his apartment in Wilkes-Barre, and while in possession of 1,234 baggies of heroin meant for distribution. Police heard Brownstein state that “I will shoot you," and upon entering the apartment saw Brownstein with a firearm in each hand pointing the guns at a juvenile male who was attempting to leave the apartment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Wilkes-Barre Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP"), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes with firearms.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
