Pittsburgh Felon Sentenced on Illegal Gun Possession, False Statements, and Theft Charges

PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of time served to be followed by three years of supervised release on his conviction of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, false statements to the government, and theft of government money, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Joyce Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Octavio Rodrizuez Shipman, age 54.  This defendant has been in some type of federal/state custody since his arrest on January 2, 2019.

Previously, in connection with Shipman’s guilty plea, the court was advised that in April 2018, Shipman’s paramour purchased a 9mm semi-automatic Canik pistol, which he took possession of shortly after. Around the end of April 2018, Shipman sold the Canik pistol to another individual in McKees Rocks. Shipman had been convicted of 8 offenses in 5 different cases between 1992 and 2002. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year from possessing a firearm.

The court was further advised that on or around July 12, 2018, Shipman falsely represented to federal law enforcement agents that another individual had sold him two bags of cocaine in exchange for $2,800.00 when in fact he and the other individual knowingly obtained a non-narcotic substance from a retail store, which Shipman represented to law enforcement agents was cocaine that he had purchased. The court was advised that Shipman willfully converted $2,800 in U.S. currency from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for his own use.

Assistant United States Attorney David Lew prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, conducted the investigation leading to the

guilty pleas in this case. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian enhances coordination of federal, state, and local authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the Pennsylvania Instant Criminal Background Check System ( PICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.