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 Richard Earl Davis, age 28, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on April 1, 2021, to 144 months' imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Wilson, for aiding and abetting straw purchase of firearms, witness tampering, and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Davis was involved in a conspiracy in which an individual would purchase firearms that were ultimately sold to persons prohibited from possessing them, to include felons and drug dealers. After his arrest, Davis contacted a witness and told her how to testify at his upcoming bail hearing.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys James Clancy and Scott Ford prosecuted the case.
This case is 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce crime. This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.
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