McKeesport Felon Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Firearms Trafficking and Violating Federal Supervised Release (DOJ)

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 134 months of imprisonment on his conviction of firearms offenses and conspiracy, as well as violations of his federal supervised release, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Duane Jackson, 39.

According to information presented to the Court, Jackson engaged in a conspiracy to acquire numerous firearms from April through November 2021, and, in fact, acquired approximately 26 firearms during that period. At the time, Jackson was on federal supervised release for a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Federal law prohibits the possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. During the conspiracy, Jackson also attempted to obtain numerous machinegun conversion devices, also known as Glock switches.

Judge Stickman imposed a sentence of 120 months of imprisonment for the new offenses, and a consecutive sentence of 14 months of imprisonment for the defendant's violations of his supervised release. Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman reiterated the gravity of the offenses, noting the plague that illegal firearms, and the violence associated with them, inflicts on the community.

"Firearms trafficking and violent crime often go hand in hand," said U.S. Attorney Olshan. "During the conspiracy in this case, Duane Jackson, a convicted felon, illegally acquired over two dozen firearms. Today's sentence of over 11 years sends a clear message: if you traffic in firearms, you will be held accountable under federal law. This office will continue to work every day with our law enforcement partners at all levels of government to stop the illegal flow of firearms across western Pennsylvania."

"Duane Jackson was fueling violent crime in our communities through his endeavors," said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. "Illegal firearms trafficking puts guns in the hands of dangerous criminals. Including devices that enable pistols to be fired like machineguns made them remarkably hazardous. ATF is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to stop dangerous criminals like Jackson and to making western Pennsylvania's neighborhoods a safer place to live."

Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jackson.