Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PITTSBUGRH, PA – Kahlil Shelton, age 23, formerly of Duquesne, PA and Deron Howell, age 25, formerly of Swissvale, PA have been sentenced to 192 months and 511 months, respectively, and three years of supervised release on numerous drug, firearm, and robbery convictions, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Shelton and Howell were tried before United States District Court Judge Billy Roy Wilson in Pittsburgh in May of 2018. As a result of their convictions, Howell faced a mandatory minimum 30 years of imprisonment and Shelton faced a mandatory minimum seven years of imprisonment.

According to Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Lanni and Jeffrey Bengel, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that on or about July 27, 2017, Deron Howell, and two unidentified accomplices used firearms to rob four professional video game players of $6,700 dollars to be used at a video game tournament. Howell accomplished the robbery by picking up the four victims at the Pittsburgh International Airport in his silver Kia Optimum and driving them to a section of the City of Pittsburgh. After Howell locked the victims in the car, two unknown accomplices pulled the victims from the car and held them at gunpoint with an AK-47 and a pistol, while Howell stripped the victims of their belongings, the $6700 dollars, and their luggage.

Additionally, on or about August 7, 2017, Howell and Kahlil Shelton also robbed two individuals of marijuana in Cranberry, PA while using firearms. Howell and Shelton organized this robbery by telling the victim that they wanted to purchase approximately six pounds of marijuana. Howell, Shelton, and a third unknown accomplice then travelled to the victim’s house in Cranberry, PA. Upon arrival, Shelton excused himself to go to the bathroom and returned from the bathroom holding a firearm to the head of both of the victims. At this time, Howell stole the marijuana from one of the victims. The second victim struggled with Shelton before attempting to flee from the house. Before the second victim could flee from the house, the third unknown accomplice shot the victim through the chest. Howell and Shelton committed this robbery while a 6-year-old child was in the room.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Cranberry Township Police Department, and the City of Pittsburgh Police conducted the investigation leading to the convictions in this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and

directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

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