Former Allegheny County Jail officer gets 18 months in federal prison for possessing illegal shotgun

A former Allegheny County Jail corrections officer already convicted of selling illegal drugs there will serve 18 months in federal prison for possessing a sawed-off shotgun.

Lewis Bagnato, 33, of Kennedy, pleaded guilty to the federal charge before U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand in August. He was sentenced on Thursday. In addition to the prison term, he must also serve three years of supervised release.

Bagnato was initially charged in state court in May 2021 with felony drug and contraband charges after investigators said he sold K2, a type of synthetic cannabis, in the jail.

The criminal complaint said he worked with a man incarcerated at the jail to sell it to others there.

Bagnato, who was hired at the jail in December 2019, met the man’s girlfriend at an Aldi store in McKees Rocks and got more than $2,000 from her on the inmate’s behalf.

Bagnato also told the man he could take Suboxone and Percocet into the jail to sell.

After his arrest on those charges, investigators searching his home found a Harrington and Richardson 16-gauge, single-shot shotgun with a 9-1/4-inch barrel, which is less than the 18-inch minimum required by law.

It had been modified so it could no longer be fired from the shoulder and was not registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said that Bagnato had gone through firearms training at Allegheny County Police Academy, was a trained and certified firearms instructor and had applied for a Federal Firearms License.

As part of the plea agreement, Wiegand ordered Bagnato to serve 18 months in federal prison.

His sentencing brief said that Bagnato has an excellent work ethic but faces significant health challenges, including multiple sclerosis.

“Mr. Bagnato is truly remorseful for his actions and intends to work hard to stay out of trouble and live as a law-abiding citizen once he puts this case behind him,” wrote his attorney, Michael Moser.

Bagnato has struggled with addiction to alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and opiates since he was 15 years old, the court filing said.

Bagnato pleaded guilty to the state court charges in October. He was sentenced on one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and was ordered to serve two years of probation.