A Philadelphia man has been handed down a hefty sentence for firearm possession as a convicted felon, the statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. Jeffrey Hernandez, 40, faced the weight of the United States justice system as United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone, issued the sentence which also includes three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hernandez, previously convicted on a felony charge, pled guilty in August to possessing a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, loaded with 30 rounds of live ammunition. Court documents revealed that Hernandez knew full well, that he was not allowed to have a firearm given his criminal record. In what seems to have been a cauldron boiling over with retaliatory intent, Hernandez and three associates were stopped, allegedly on their way to commit a killing in reaction to an earlier altercation.
Law enforcement intervention came after the FBI, paired with the Philadelphia Police Department, received credible threats that could have potentially led to further violence. The investigation, spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the efforts by law enforcement to prevent a possibly lethal confrontation, led to Hernandez's apprehension and subsequent prosecution, with Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Martin and Special Assistant United States Attorney Meagan Gordon leading the charge in court.
