ERIE, PA—A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal firearms laws and drug laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Shawn I. McCrorey, 45, pleaded guilty to three counts before Senior United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill, Jr.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on January 5, 2013, McCrorey was found in possession of cocaine and a handgun, and a second handgun was found in his residence in Erie, Pennsylvania. Also, McCrorey obtained one of the handguns in December 2012, after lying to a local gun store about his identity and lying that he had no prior felony conviction. McCrorey, known by several aliases, was convicted in 1994 for the crime of delivery of cocaine under the name William Dean and is therefore prohibited from firearm possession.

Judge Cohill scheduled sentencing for August 26, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The EAGLE Task Force, which is composed of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Erie Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of McCrorey.