Erie Man Charged with Possession and Transfer of Unregistered Firearms

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

The two-count Indictment named Joseph Leonard Stratton-Kiehlmeier, 47, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, in January 2020, Stratton-Kiehlmeier, possessed unregistered firearms, specifically a fully automatic, 9mm sub machine gun and a fully automatic, AK47 style assault rifle and transferred these firearms in violation of the National Firearms Act.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the Fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.