Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to Prison for Violations of Federal Firearms Laws

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on June 18, 2024, to 52 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to two separate violations of federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Raesean M. Wilson, 22.

According to information presented to the Court, Wilson was convicted of a felony in March 2022 in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Under federal law, a convicted felon is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. On or about September 21, 2022, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police observed Wilson in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with an extended magazine and 30 rounds of ammunition in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood. On January 3, 2023, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted Wilson for this incident and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

On or about January 26, 2023, following his indictment for the previous incident, Wilson was stopped by Pennsylvania State Troopers in downtown Pittsburgh for a moving traffic violation and found to be in possession of a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with an extended magazine and 23 rounds of ammunition, which he possessed in connection with the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine. On February 28, 2023, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted Wilson for this second firearms offense.

Wilson pleaded guilty to both crimes in December 2023.

Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania State Police, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Wilson.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.