Pittsburgh Felon Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Possession of Firearm and Ammunition

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 46 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, on his conviction of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Court Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Chaz Mitchell, 36, on August 21, 2026.

According to the information presented to the Court, on July 5, 2025, following the issuance of a state arrest warrant for Mitchell on unrelated charges, officers from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police observed Mitchell in possession of an assault rifle and sawed-off shotgun and attempted to execute the state warrant. Mitchell refused to exit a residence until the SWAT unit arrived. Upon Mitchell's surrender and being taken into custody, officers obtained and executed a state search warrant for the residence, from where they recovered an assault rifle, sawed-off shotgun, pistol, and ammunition. Mitchell had previously been convicted of felony state firearms offenses. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Mitchell.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.