Tattoo Shop Owner Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Unlicensed Firearms at his Business

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of McKeesport has been sentenced in federal court to 30 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine on his conviction of possessing unlicensed firearms, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Richard Watson, age 33, of McKeesport, PA.

According to information presented to the court, Watson possessed unregistered firearm silencers at his place of business, Omerta Ink in McKeesport. The Court also heard and relied upon evidence that Watson had engaged in the covert and unlawful manufacture and sale of firearms, including two home-milled, AR-style pistols, which were effectively untraceable ghost-guns.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Watson.