CLEVELAND - Andre Hunt, 24, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 61 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Hunt previously pleaded guilty to providing a false statement to a firearms dealer in Ashtabula, Ohio, in order to purchase a weapon, illegal possession of ammunition and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made during the sentencing hearing, Hunt was released from prison on July 22, 2020, following a 2015 conviction in the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas of two counts of felony aggravated robbery.
Shortly after his release, on Aug. 21, 2020, Hunt gave a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer in Ashtabula in an attempt to purchase a pistol. Court documents state that Hunt claimed he had never been convicted of a felony when, in fact, he had previously been convicted of felony charges.
Following this incident, on Oct. 1, 2020, court documents state that Hunt was found to be in possession of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and fourteen rounds of ammunition. Hunt is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to his previous felony conviction.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Crime Enforcement Agency of Ashtabula County (CEAAC) and the Ashtabula Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Katz.