PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh to 28 months’ imprisonment and 3 years supervised release on his conviction of drug distribution and firearms charges, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Clarence Thomas, 30, of Pittsburgh, PA.
Thomas, who had a prior felony heroin trafficking conviction, pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2022, to possessing with intent to distribute quantities of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The drugs, Ruger pistol, and ammunition were seized from Thomas’s residence by City of Pittsburgh police officers during the execution of a search warrant on Nov. 10, 2019. The Ruger pistol had been previously reported as being stolen.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Cercone noted that the distribution of fentanyl had recently become prolific in the Pittsburgh area and was particularly serious in that it was causing deaths among users.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Thomas.