Cameo Witherspoon, Firearms Possession, Pennsylvania 2021

A Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung.

Cameo Witherspoon, age 33, formerly of the City’s Larimer neighborhood, pleaded guilty before Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand.

According to the guilty plea, on July 6, 2021, an officer with the Monroeville Police initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle due to an expired registration in Monroeville, PA. The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, failed to immediately stop, and when he did, he quickly exited the vehicle to dispute the stop.

While interacting with law enforcement, the driver lied about his identity, misrepresented where the vehicle’s registration was located, locked and unlocked the vehicle three times, and dumped the contents of the glovebox onto a fanny pack within the vehicle. The officer then requested a K-9 unit, and the drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics. Subsequently, law enforcement had the vehicle towed and applied for a search warrant. During the resulting search, law enforcement recovered a loaded handgun from the fanny pack in the vehicle.

Following the driver’s arrest, law enforcement determined that the driver was the defendant, Cameo Witherspoon, and that Witherspoon had an active warrant for a parole violation. As described in the Indictment, Witherspoon has multiple prior felony convictions in the Court of Common Pleas, County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from the possession of firearms and ammunition. Witherspoon faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years and/or a special assessment of $100.

Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for March 2, 2023. Pending sentencing, the court remanded Witherspoon to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Monroeville Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Cameo Witherspoon.

Defendant: Cameo Witherspoon

Criminal Charges: Possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon

City and State: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Exact Date: July 6, 2021

Sentence: Faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years and/or a special assessment of $100

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