Repeat Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offender Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 420 months (35 years) in federal prison for committing firearm and drug trafficking crimes while on federal supervised release following convictions and a prison sentence for prior firearm and drug trafficking crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Randale Chapman, 36, was sentenced by United States Senior District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. Judge Schwab also ordered that Chapman serve six years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Chapman was convicted at the conclusion of a federal jury trial in July 2023 of committing the following crimes on April 30, 2020: (1) possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and methylenedioxyamphetamine with intent to distribute, (2) possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and (3) possession of a firearm after a prior felony conviction. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. He was also convicted at the trial of possessing with intent to distribute oxycodone and methamphetamine on February 5, 2021.

According to the information presented to the Court, Chapman was on federal supervised release when he committed those drug trafficking and firearm crimes in 2020 and 2021. His supervised release term started in 2019 following a prior 109-month federal prison sentence for conspiring to distribute heroin and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in 2010.

The trial and sentencing evidence also established that Chapman was on probation for a Pennsylvania state-court heroin trafficking conviction when he committed his prior federal drug trafficking and gun crimes in 2010.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Pittsburgh Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Chapman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.