Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Steven Gray, age 45, of York, Pennsylvania, was convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm after a three-day jury trial held before United States District Court Judge John E. Jones, III.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Gray was arrested on January 1, 2017, by officers of the York Police Department and found to be in possession of a 9MM Taurus handgun, loaded with seven rounds of ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The matter was investigated by the York Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott R. Ford and Kim Douglas Daniel prosecuted the 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.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational

and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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