New Castle Felon Charged with Illegal Gun Possession

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on two charges of violating federal firearm laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

The two-count Superseding Indictment named Angel Cruz II, age 32, as the sole defendant.

According to the Superseding Indictment, on or about June 16, 2021 and on or about November 4, 2021, Cruz possessed a firearm and/or ammunition by a convicted felon. It is prohibited under federal law for a convicted felon to be in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition.

The law provides for a term of imprisonment not more than ten years, a fine not to exceed $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force conducted the investigation leading to the Superseding Indictment in this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proved 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.

A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.