Andrea Gray, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Pennsylvania 2020

Grimy Times reported that Andrea Gray, 26, of Braddock, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today in federal court to a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

On July 21, 2020, Gray was in a group of about 10 people on a front porch in the 700 block of Baldridge Avenue in Braddock. As someone on the porch was rolling a marijuana cigarette in plain view, Allegheny County Police detectives stopped their car nearby and exited the car wearing clothes identifying them as police.

The group on the porch dispersed, including Gray, who reached for his waistband and retrieved a black handgun as he ran away. A detective shouted for Gray to stop and drop the gun, but he kept running and threw the handgun into a neighboring backyard. One detective chased Gray and ultimately took him into custody.

Two detectives recovered the handgun that Gray threw into the backyard. The gun was a black Glock, Model 22, .40 caliber handgun, bearing serial number NMD679. The Glock was fully loaded with .40 caliber rounds – 11 in the magazine and one in the chamber – and had previously been reported stolen.

Gray was transported to UPMC Mercy where he volunteered to detectives that he told the group of people on the porch to “take the weed inside,” and when he saw the detectives’ police markings, he knew that it was “over.” After detectives Mirandized Gray, he waived his rights and admitted that he had the gun. Gray also acknowledged that he knew he could not lawfully purchase or possess a handgun because of a prior felony conviction for violating controlled substance laws.

Judge Donetta Ambrose scheduled sentencing for January 4, 2022, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine not more than $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Ira M. Karoll prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation. This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the government’s violent crime reduction efforts.

Related Federal Cases