HARRISBURG — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kenge Lewis, III, age 24, of York, Pennsylvania, the first of the nine individuals indicted as a result of a joint ATF-York County Drug Task Force operation in York, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on October 11, 2017, before United States District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Lewis was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 29, 2017, and charged with possessing a .22 caliber I.J.A. & C.WKS revolver loaded with eight Winchester .22 caliber Super X cartridges. United States Magistrate Court Judge Susan E. Schwab arraigned Lewis on April 18, 2017, and determined he should be detained pending trial.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Lewis sold a .22 caliber I.J.A. & C.WKS revolver that was loaded with eight Winchester .22 caliber Super X cartridges on January 23, 2017, in York. Lewis has previously been convicted of a felony offense and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
A sentencing date is not yet scheduled.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the York County Drug Task Force, the York City Police Department, York County Adult Probation Department, and the York County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP”), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes with firearms.
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 under federal law is 10 years of imprisonment, and includes 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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