Project Safe Neighborhoods Prosecutions Continue across Western Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, PA – United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today that three individuals were sentenced and three individuals entered guilty pleas in federal court in Pittsburgh this week in cases being prosecuted as part of the District’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

"The PSN program was reinvigorated in 2017, as part of the Justice Department’s renewed focus on targeting each community’s most violent criminals," said U.S. Attorney Brady. "PSN brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone."

The following cases are products of PSN’s collaborative effort.

On Monday, May 13, Kedron Kedren Broadus, 34, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. On November 13, 2017, Broadus, who has a prior felony conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base, unlawfully possessed a .40 caliber Glock 23 handgun and ammunition. Broadus was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers for a traffic violation, and he fled from the scene of the stop. During his flight, Broadus dropped the firearm. The officers eventually caught Broadus, and he had a backpack that contained multiple rounds of ammunition. 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.

Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for October 28, 2019 at 10 a.m. Also at that date and time, Judge Schwab will sentence Broadus because he violated the conditions of his supervised release by, among other ways, illegally possessing a firearm.

U.S. Attorney Brady prosecuted Broadus in 2005-2006 when Mr. Brady served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. On February 16, 2006, Broadus received a sentence of 10 years in prison for trafficking crack cocaine. Despite the lengthy prison term, Broadus re-engaged in serious criminal activity after being released.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

Also on Monday, Darby Donta Tigney, 24, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before Judge Schwab. On October 14, 2018, Tigney illegally possessed a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun. Tigney had been convicted of the felony offense of Possession of a Firearm with an Altered Serial Number in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County just three months earlier on July 30, 2018.

Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for October 28, at 11 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pittsburgh Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigations that led to the prosecution of Kedron Broadus and Darby Donta Tigney.

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019, Herbert Lee Pope, 28, formerly Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to four years (48 months) in prison, five years of supervised release, and restitution in the amount of $3,793.25, on his conviction for violating federal bank robbery and firearms laws. United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence. On February 16, 2016, Pope and another male entered the Sewickley Savings Bank in Sewickley, PA, both utilizing black semi-automatic handguns, vaulted the teller counter, and robbed the bank. The loss to the bank was $3,543.25.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey R. Bengel and Shaun E. Sweeney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sewickley Police Department, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Ambridge Police Department conducted the investigation.

Also on May 15, 2019, Zackory James Sadler, 34, with former addresses in Monessen and Washington Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose to three years of additional supervision and six months of incarceration, consecutive o all other sentences for escaping his federal sentence.

Sadler was back in federal prison for previously escaping from federal custody. He was back at the Renewal Center halfway house in Pittsburgh on December 19, 2018 and was given permission to meet with his federal Probation Officer (PO). Sadler did not visit his PO and then failed to return to the Renewal Center. The United States Marshals Service Fugitive Unit began an investigation and the Renewal Center contacted Sadler’s friends and family. On December 21, 2019, Sadler finally returned to the Renewal Center. He was subsequently removed from the halfway house and sent back to prison.

Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. AUSA Lenhardt informed the Court that the current case is the defendant’s 17th conviction in juvenile and adult court. In recent years, Sadler was convicted of multiple cases in adult court, including a prior 2008 Washington County escape for walking away from a halfway house. In 2009, the defendant was charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm and was ultimately sentenced to five years (60 months) of incarceration. On August 9, 2013, the defendant walked away from the federal halfway house. He was later charged with escape and sentenced in 2014. Thus, the current matter actually involves his conviction for escaping from his escape sentence.

The United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Sadler.

On May 16, 2019, Robert Tippett, 22, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty before United States District Judge David S. Cercone. On May 4, 2018, Tippett possessed a loaded .357 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. It is unlawful for Tippett, who has previously been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, to possess a firearm.

Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for September 10, 2019. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Pending sentencing, the court ordered that Tippett remain in custody.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

On May 17, 2019, Jaimere Erick Dehonney, 22, of Pittsburgh, was sentenced to four years (48 months) in prison and three years’ supervised release. United States District Judge Reggie Walton imposed the sentence. On June 8, 2017, Dehonney conspired with others in the Western District of Pennsylvania to possess with intent to distribute and distribute heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance. The Court was further advised that, on or about June 8, 2017, Dehonney unlawfully possessed two firearms – a 5.56 caliber "AK-style" pistol and a .45 caliber Springfield XD pistol (and ammunition for the same) – while he was an unlawful user of a controlled substance. Federal law prohibits the possession of a firearm and ammunition by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant(s).

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.