McKees Rocks Resident Sentenced to Prison for Violation of Federal Firearm Law

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on July 23, 2024, to 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to violating a federal firearms law, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Darnell Maurice Manson, 23.

According to information presented to the Court, Manson possessed a firearm after being convicted of several felonies for conduct that occurred in or around October 2018 in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Under federal law, a convicted felon is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

On or about August 8, 2021, pursuant to a search warrant following a traffic stop, Brentwood Borough Police Department discovered a Smith & Wesson Model 9 M&P Shield, 9mm caliber pistol, and 9mm ammunition, as well as stamp gangs of heroin in the vehicle that Mason was driving.

On February 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted Manson for this conduct. On October 4, 2023, Manson pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, which is a violation of federal firearms law.

Manson's federal sentence will be imposed consecutively to his state sentence of 24 months for violating his conditions of state parole.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Brentwood Borough Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Manson.

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.