Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Tyshaun Williams, 29, of Lancaster, PA, was sentenced to 115 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., for firearms and drug trafficking offenses.

In September 2020, the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon, one count of possessing firearms not registered under the National Firearms Act, one count of distributing cocaine, and one count of possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The charges stemmed from an incident in which Williams sold cocaine to a confidential informant and was subsequently caught illegally possessing an arsenal of 27 firearms and more than 900 rounds of ammunition.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to keep illegal weapons out of the hands of people who are not permitted to possess them,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Tyshaun Williams presented a danger to the community in Lancaster, and for his crimes he will now spend nearly a decade in prison.”

“Keeping dangerous felons who illegally possess firearms off the streets is a core belief of ATF,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Today’s sentencing reflects our long-lasting partnership with our local, state and federal colleagues to pursue violent criminals. I truly appreciate the United States Attorney’s office for their continued efforts in prosecuting these types of crimes, which undoubtedly makes our communities safer.”

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, and the Lancaster City Bureau of Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Deal and Kishan Nair.

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