PITTSBURGH—A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 180 months’ imprisonment on his conviction of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry imposed the sentence on Curtis Delay Brown, 42, of Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Judge McVerry determined that Brown qualified as an armed career criminal, which subjected him to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ incarceration.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Michael Comber, the evidence presented at trial established that on or about July 7, 2012, Brown, being a convicted felon, illegally possessed a Taurus, Model 85 Ultra Lite, .38 Special caliber revolver. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year to possess a firearm.

Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Comber, Rebecca Haywood, and Katherine King prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the city of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Brown. This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime.