A 47-year-old Pittsburgh man is facing a potential life sentence after a federal grand jury indicted him on a single charge of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition. Jason Briggs is accused of having the weapon and ammo despite a prior state felony drug-trafficking conviction that bars him from legally owning either.
The one-count indictment names Briggs as the sole defendant, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. As reported by WPXI, the alleged offense occurred on or about May 19, 2026, per the indictment. United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced the charge, the outlet noted.
Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting the case, per the same account. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the indictment.
What Briggs Is Up Against
If convicted, Briggs faces a statutory sentence of at least 15 years and up to life in prison, the station's report states. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 under the charge. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition, a restriction at the center of the case against him.
The charge falls under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), which the United States Sentencing Commission says makes it unlawful for prohibited people to ship, transport, possess, or receive a firearm or ammunition, most commonly because of a prior felony conviction. The commission reports that of 66,662 cases tallied in fiscal year 2025, 7,245 involved convictions under that same statute, underscoring how often felon-in-possession charges show up in the federal system.
How These Cases Typically Play Out
Sentencing data compiled by the commission offers a window into how felon-in-possession cases have historically been resolved, though it does not speak to the outcome of this particular prosecution. Among offenders covered by that data, 67.8% were sentenced under the Guidelines Manual, and 82.6% of those were sentenced within the guideline range, according to the commission's findings.
Pittsburgh is not the only Pennsylvania city where this type of charge has surfaced recently. A man in Williamsport was separately indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
An indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. Briggs will have the opportunity to contest the charge as the case moves through federal court in Pittsburgh.
