Judge Sentences Johnstown Felon to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Possessing Weapon

JOHNSTOWN, PA—A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 92 months’ incarceration and three years of supervised release on his conviction of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Rogelin M. Lopez, 26, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, on December 24, 2009, Lopez, who had been convicted in 2006 in Cambria County, Pennsylvania of delivery of a controlled substance, unlawfully possessed a Smith & Wesson pistol. Federal law prohibits persons who have been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year from possessing ammunition or firearms. Delivery of a controlled substance is such a crime.

Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Johnstown Police Department and the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Lopez.

According to Mr. Hickton, Lopez was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime.