Allegheny County Jail guard charged in federal court with having sawed-off shotgun

The Allegheny County correctional officer accused in state court of taking illicit drugs into the jail for sale was charged Friday in federal court with possessing a sawed-off shotgun.

Lewis Bagnato, 32, of Kennedy was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s office with possession of a weapon made from a shotgun after investigators conducted a search of his home on Thursday related to the drug case.

According to a federal affidavit, Allegheny County detectives found a Harrington and Richardson 16-gauge, single-shot weapon with a 9-1/4 inch barrel, and a modified stock that makes it no longer possible to fire from the shoulder.

The weapon was found in Bagnato’s basement, along with law enforcement tactical gear, the affidavit said.

The affidavit, filed by an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said that there was no record found in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record for Bagnato or the gun.

In the state drug case, investigators said that Bagnato told an incarcerated man he could take Suboxone, Percocet and K2 into the jail to then be sold to others there.

That man then had his girlfriend meet Bagnato at an Aldi in McKees Rocks, where she gave him more than $2,000, according to the criminal complaint.

Surveillance video from inside the jail showed the exchange between Bagnato and the man on April 10, police said.

In that case, Bagnato is charged with bringing in contraband, criminal communications, possession with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.

Bagnato is being held in detention and will have a hearing on Wednesday.