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Crime & Courts

Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 12½ Years for Gun Possession

Arthur Thompson, 40, was sentenced to 150 months in prison on September 1, 2026, after two federal jury convictions for illegal firearm possession.

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 1, 2026, 4:07 p.m. ET
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This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

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PHILADELPHIA – Arthur Thompson, 40, of Philadelphia, was on September 1, 2026, to 150 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for illegally possessing guns and ammunition as a felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Thompson was convicted at two separate trials earlier this year. On March 31, 2026, a jury found him guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. That case stemmed from a December 20, 2022 incident in which Philadelphia police officers attempted a traffic stop, and Thompson allegedly tossed a loaded firearm and fled on foot before being detained. On April 10, 2026, a second jury convicted him of possession of a firearm by a felon, related to an October 18, 2023 arrest by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force, during which a loaded 9mm handgun was recovered from a vehicle. Thompson had prior convictions for crimes punishable by more than one year in prison, making it illegal for him to possess firearms or ammunition. The cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Gun Violence Task Force, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert E. Eckert and Samantha A. Arena and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracie J. Gaydos.

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  1. Version 11 Sept 2026, 20:07current

    First published.

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