Previously Convicted Felon from Beaver Falls Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Repeated Possession of Firearms

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to firearms charges and was sentenced to 77 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Eric Kalif Hubbard, 41.

According to evidence presented to the Court, on May 23, 2023, an officer with the New Brighton Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Hubbard. In approaching the vehicle, the officer observed an open container and the odor of alcohol, as well as a black satchel bag in the vehicle. When asked by the officer to exit the vehicle due to suspicion of drunk driving, Hubbard sped away in the vehicle. Officers pursued Hubbard and, upon finding his crashed vehicle, arrested Hubbard hiding in the brush and searched the nearby Beaver River, where they recovered a black satchel floating in the water. That bag contained three pill bottles bearing Hubbard’s name and a loaded revolver.

On July 14, 2023, an officer with the Beaver Falls Police Department initiated a traffic stop on Hubbard after observing that there was no inspection sticker on his windshield. The officer, who was aware of the prior traffic stop and also knew that Hubbard had a suspended license, determined that the vehicle was a rental, that Hubbard was not on the rental agreement, and that the vehicle had to be towed. Upon conducting an inventory of the vehicle while awaiting a tow truck, the officer discovered contraband, stopped the inventory, and applied for a search warrant, with the resulting search leading to the recovery of three black ski masks, three pairs of black gloves, a loaded 12 gauge shotgun with a cut stock, and a loaded semiautomatic rifle.

At the time Hubbard possessed the firearms and ammunition seized in these instances, he had been convicted of seven felony offenses. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

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

United States Attorney Olshan commended the New Brighton Police Department, Beaver Falls Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hubbard.