PITTSBURGH, PA — A former resident of the East Hills area of Pittsburgh has been handed a hefty 10-year prison sentence. The charges? Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of a machine gun.
51-year-old Oronde Shelton, a name all too familiar to local law enforcement, was sentenced on February 13, 2024, by United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand. But the punishment doesn’t end there. Following his decade behind bars, Shelton is slated for three years of supervised release.
The case against Shelton stems from an incident on March 17, 2021. Shelton was found in possession of a semi-automatic Glock pistol, kitted out with an extended magazine and an aftermarket auto-sear, known colloquially as a “Glock switch.” This modification transformed the firearm into a fully automatic weapon. Under federal law, the auto-sear or switch device itself constitutes a machine gun.
To make matters worse, at the time of this offense, Shelton was already a convicted felon, making it illegal for him to possess any firearm or ammunition.
Shelton certainly didn’t help his case. During his guilty plea, he confessed to using the machine gun on three separate occasions prior to his 2021 arrest. One of these instances involved an exchange of gunfire on Frankstown Road, during which an innocent bystander was wounded in his right ankle.
But the incident that led to the latest federal charges against Shelton was even more egregious. He admitted to driving around Pittsburgh’s North Side with the modified Glock pistol casually resting on the passenger seat. When another vehicle pulled up alongside him and opened fire, Shelton responded in kind. He unleashed the full power of his weapon’s 30-round capacity magazine, shooting through his own windshield and hitting a nearby building and at least one parked car. Shortly after this reckless display, Shelton abandoned his vehicle and made off with his fully automatic firearm. It was later discovered in his residence during his arrest in April 2021.
In court, Judge Wiegand dismissed Shelton’s attempt to downplay his actions by claiming he needed the firearm for protection. The judge pointed out the absurdity of allowing an exception for “justified” possession of a machine gun, especially considering the law prohibits anyone from possessing such a weapon. Furthermore, she noted that a felon’s sustained possession of a firearm for personal protection over several months, based on a generalized fear of unnamed threats, is not a viable defense.
At the time of these latest violations, Shelton was serving a term of supervised release following a prior 10-year federal prison sentence for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of heroin in 2008. Due to his current firearms conviction, Judge Wiegand ruled that Shelton had violated the terms of his federal supervision. His punishment? An additional 57 months of incarceration, to be served consecutively to the 120 months he received for the machine gun possession.
U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan minced no words when commenting on the case. “Oronde Shelton has repeatedly endangered the community, and in particular innocent bystanders, with his use of illegal firearms, in this case, a machine gun,” he said.
This successful prosecution of Shelton was made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Barbara K. Doolittle and Michael R. Ball led the charge on behalf of the government.
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