A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in federal prison for illegally having a handgun near one of the Monroeville Mall stores in 2017.
U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Christian Erik Ralph, 24.
Prosecutors said that, on Dec. 26, 2017, Monroeville Mall security guards saw Ralph with a handgun.
He fled the guards but was caught by Monroeville police.
A year earlier, Ralph had been convicted of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and for carrying a firearm without a license, both of which are felonies. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leo Ivory prosecuted this case.
United States Attorney Scott Brady commended the Monroeville Mall Security Department, the Monroeville Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ralph.
