West Mifflin man sent to federal prison for 16 years on drug, gun charges

A West Mifflin man prohibited from having guns because of a past aggravated assault conviction will serve at least 16 years in federal prison.

Giante Hilliard, 32, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on drug and gun counts from three incidents in spring 2023.

He pleaded guilty in August to firearms counts, possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and possession of ammunition.

Because of his previous convictions, Hilliard was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Hilliard and another person were leaving a bar in McKees Rocks on March 28, 2023, when a third person started shooting at their vehicle.

Hilliard, who was in the passenger seat, returned fire, which was captured on video.

Then, according to federal prosecutors, Hilliard was a passenger in a vehicle that law enforcement officers tried to stop on May 8, 2023.

The driver refused to comply, and instead rammed three police vehicles. During the incident, an officer reported seeing Hilliard with a black gun.

A short time later, police spotted the disabled vehicle abandoned near a convenience store.

Surveillance video showed Hilliard and the driver split up. Hilliard was carrying a black bag that he tried to hide under a dumpster.

Officers found it with a handgun inside that had been reported stolen and 300 doses of a heroin-fentanyl mixture.

Ballistics from the gun, investigators later determined, matched the March 28 shooting.

Then, on May 31, 2023, Hilliard posted a video on social media of himself with another gun. Officers, armed with a search warrant, went to arrest him and surrounded the house he was in.

Police said Hilliard refused to come out until several hours after officers fired multiple rounds of tear gas into the residence.

Inside, investigators recovered additional heroin and fentanyl. In the vehicle, they found another loaded gun with no serial number.