A Pittsburgh resident has been sentenced to over eight years in federal prison for drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced that Jeffrey Lee Hancock Jr., 41, from the Braddock neighborhood, received a 100-month sentence following his conviction.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV delivered the sentence on September 2, 2025. The case stems from an April 25, 2024 investigation when the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant at Hancock’s home as part of an ongoing probe into drug trafficking involving Hancock and two co-conspirators.
During the search, investigators reported that Hancock threw a bag containing about 50 bricks of fentanyl out of a second-story window. Inside the residence, authorities found another 200 bricks of fentanyl, $2,902 in cash, and two handguns. Hancock was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions. He admitted to conspiring to distribute between 280 and 400 grams of fentanyl.
Before sentencing, Judge Stickman described Hancock as a “recidivist drug trafficker and illegal gun user” who was involved in “poisoning our community” through “the dark and dangerous drug trade.” Judge Stickman said that imposing a sentence at the high end of the advisory guideline range should serve as a warning: “a career of crime [will be] met with stiff federal time.”
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted the case for the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police for their roles in leading to Hancock’s prosecution.
