PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Mark Manigault, 41, of Philadelphia, PA was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm, arising from his illegal possession of a 9mm pistol, loaded with 12 live rounds of ammunition.
On Sept. 27, 2016, two Philadelphia Police officers observed the defendant and another individual sitting outside near a bar. Subsequently, the officers found a firearm hidden in the wheel well of a car parked near the defendants. Upon further investigation, the officers found a second firearm placed in the wheel well of another car. Using surveillance footage from the bar and from a private residence down the street, the officers determined that Manigault and the other individual possessed the firearms and had placed them in the wheel wells.
“Prosecuting, deterring and preventing violent crime in Philadelphia are top priorities of my Office," said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Illegal gun possession undeniably poses a serious threat to public safety because it often leads to violence. We are committed to working with the Philadelphia Police Department to combat this threat. Simply put, the more firearms we can take out of the hands of convicted felons, the safer our City will be. And when we bring illegal gun possession cases, the offenders must suffer serious punishment and not be routed into bogus diversionary programs like the ones being championed by the Philadelphia District Attorney. Otherwise, the prosecutions have no deterrent effect and the offenders are free to return to their life of crime."
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. The Department of Justice 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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
