Punxsutawney Man Sentenced in Federal Court for Purchasing Firearms for a Prohibited Buyer

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of 1 year and 1 day, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on his conviction on a charge of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Tuesday.

Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Edward Fontenot, 33, of Punxsutawney.

According to information presented to the court, in July 2016, Fontenot straw purchased four firearms from the Mahoning Valley Milling Company, a federally licensed firearms dealer for Peter DiGiacomo. The defendant completed ATF form 4473 and claimed to be the actual buyer of the firearm although he was purchasing the firearms for DiGiacomo. The firearms included: a 5.56 caliber semiautomatic Zastava rifle; a 7.62 caliber semiautomatic CAI rifle; a 7.62 caliber semiautomatic Century Arms rifle; and a 5.56 caliber semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle. DiGiacomo, a convicted felon who under federal law can neither purchase nor possess a weapon, was previously sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.