CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Hurricane man who possessed a firearm in April 2017 was sentenced today to 27 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Brandon Pistore, 34, previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the St. Albans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On April 19, 2017, an officer with the St. Albans Police Department stopped a vehicle Pistore was driving and discovered a gun. The officer seized the firearm, a Davis Industries, Model P380 pistol. Pistore later admitted that it was his gun. He was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of a 2006 federal drug conviction for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.
“Just another felon with an illegal firearm," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “So many felons and so many illegal firearms, too many press releases read the same. That’s okay. We are going to keep arresting and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law for the longest prison sentences possible."
Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas was in charge of the prosecution. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber handed down the sentence.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
