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Edward Burgess, 45, was found guilty at trial of owning a gun as a convicted felon, said US Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero in a statement.
The charges stem from a June 2019 incident, when Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board agents and city police raided an apparently unlicensed cocktail lounge that Burgess was operating in Philadelphia, prosecutors wrote.
Prior to the raid, PLCB agents reportedly witnessed Burgess "acting as a manager of the lounge" and entering areas marked for employees only.
As Burgess was being "escorted away from the crowd" by Philadelphia cops, a PLCB agent spotted him remove a loaded handgun from his waistband and toss it behind him, feds said. The agent recovered the firearm and turned it over to city police.
"Today's conviction at trial is a step forward to a safer Philadelphia," Romero said. "This case is an example of our close working relationship with our local and state partners to use federal criminal charges to make the community safer.”
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted in the investigation, she added.
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