United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, March 19, 2008, that Tavius Smith, of Monessen, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearms laws.

The one-count indictment named Smith, age 29, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, Smith, a convicted felon, possessed a Ruger 9mm pistol, a Taurus .41 magnum caliber revolver, and a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun.  Smith was previously convicted on September 7, 2001, in the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County, of the crime of Robbery of a Motor Vehicle, and on May 9, 2001, of the crime of Robbery of a Motor Vehicle.  These are crimes that are punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.  Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year to possess a firearm.

Assistant United States Attorney Charles A. Eberle, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of ten (10) years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force comprised of members drawn from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and officers from the Donora, Monessen, Charleroi and Monongahela Police Departments, and the Fayette County District Attorney's Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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