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Indian national gets 23 months in U.S. gun possession case
The sentencing follows a federal investigation into firearms recovered after a shooting in Bethel, Pennsylvania.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 10, Jul 2026
- 13:02 EDT
- 66
Representative image / Pexels
An Indian national who was unlawfully present in the United States has been sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said.
Harshpreet Singh, 25, was sentenced on July 9 by U.S. District Judge Catherine Henry after pleading guilty in March to possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. The charge stemmed from an August 2024 investigation into a shooting linked to an alleged home invasion in Bethel, Pennsylvania.
Also Read: Louisiana judge hands Indian national 10-year sentence
According to court filings, Pennsylvania State Police troopers and Bethel Township police officers responded to a reported shooting at a residence at about 1:17 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2024. At the same time, Berks County dispatch alerted officers to a gunshot victim at a nearby gas station less than half a mile away.
Police found an individual identified as A.S., who has been charged separately, inside a vehicle at the gas station with a gunshot wound to the torso. Singh and a co-defendant were also inside the vehicle.
After the victim was taken to a hospital, officers searched the area and recovered two firearms from a gravel lot across the street from the gas station: a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol containing 12 rounds of ammunition and a privately manufactured 9mm firearm without a serial number loaded with 17 rounds. Investigators also recovered a loaded Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol containing 13 rounds from the yard of the residence that had reported the home invasion.
Federal prosecutors said forensic testing found a DNA mixture on the three firearms that included Singh as a potential contributor.
Singh was indicted in October 2025 and pleaded guilty to the federal firearm charge in March.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Bethel Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosalynda M. Michetti prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the prosecution was part of the Justice Department's Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime.
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