From staff reports
A Franklin man was sentenced in federal court to 40 months in prison on his conviction of violating federal firearms laws, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced.
According to information presented to the court, on or about April 22, 2020, Phillip John Dechant, 40, possessed numerous firearms while being a convicted felon. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to information from a U.S. Department of Justice news release in February, Dechant had pleaded guilty to one count before U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
Olshan commended the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, for the investigation leading to the prosecution.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer.
