Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Cleveland Man Sentenced to Prison for Possession of a Firearm As a Felon
CLEVELAND – Diante S. Colthirst, 32, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced today to 78 months in prison, with 60 months to be served consecutively with a state sentence, by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko after he pleaded guilty in May 2022 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on March 2, 2020, law enforcement authorities attempted to arrest Colthirst in Orange, Ohio, due to an outstanding warrant for failure to appear for sentencing in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Colthirst fled from authorities in a vehicle as they attempted to arrest him and eventually abandoned his vehicle and ran from the scene on foot. Authorities searched the vehicle and located a firearm inside under the passenger seat.
Colthirst is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous convictions of attempted felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon and having weapons while under disability and felonious assault and aggravated robbery in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Colthirst was later arrested by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive United States Marshal Task Force on March 11, 2020.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service (USMS) and the Orange Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott C. Zarzycki.