Jeannette man with 'crippling' addiction gets 5 years in federal gun case

A Jeannette man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in a federal prison for having a gun and ammunition when he was prohibited to do so because of a past felony conviction.

Kenyetta Jones, 27, was also ordered to spend three years on supervised release after the prison term.

Jones was found in February 2019 in Jeannette to have a pistol and ammunition, according to the indictment. He previously was convicted in Westmoreland County of receiving stolen property and a weapons violation in 2017, prohibiting him from having a firearm.

Jones pleaded guilty in June to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

He has what his defense attorney Michael E. Moser described as a “crippling” addiction to drugs for years, and has physical and mental health issues, according to a sentencing memorandum.

“Mr. Jones has made mistakes, but he and his family believe that he has the ability and potential to be a productive member of society,” Moser wrote, pointing to Jones’ “sincere motivation” to change his life.

Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that at the time of Jones’ arrest in Jeannette, he had about 90 stamp bags of heroin and fentanyl in his pockets.

“Despite the defendant’s protests that the pistol was not his, the defendant’s DNA was recovered from the pistol,” prosecutors said.