Area man pleads guilty to illegally buying, selling game
An Allegheny County man accused in what one veteran agent described as the largest case involving the illegal buying and sale of wildlife of his career reached a plea deal Tuesday in Washington County Court.
Richard A. Bartoletti Jr., 50, of Oakdale, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor possession of firearms; four felony counts of illegally possessing firearms; three misdemeanor counts of buying and selling game; and 11 summary counts of buying and selling game.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors have agreed not to pursue the remainder of the 80 charges filed against Bartoletti. His sentencing is set for June 27, following a presentence investigation by the adult probation office.
“He’s at the point in his life where he’s trying to get all of this behind him,” said Christopher Blackwell, Bartoletti’s attorney.
The charges against Bartoletti started after he allegedly sold a shotgun and mounted turkey to an undercover agent of the state Game Commission at his father’s home in Midway in early 2015. Additional charges were filed following searches of his and his father’s homes that turned up 23 guns and dozens of mounted animal trophies.
Bartoletti is barred from owning a firearm because of a 2005 conviction on a charge of corrupting minors.
Wildlife Conservation Officer Dan Sitler said the cache of mounted animals that authorities found was the biggest he’s seen in his 18-year tenure with the Game Commission.
“We’re fine with it,” he said of the deal. “It brings the case to fruition.”
Blackwell said Bartoletti hasn’t forfeited the seized property yet, “but at the time of sentencing, all of the firearms, all of the mounts, will be forfeited to the commonwealth.”
Authorities reached their open plea deal with Bartoletti during an afternoon court appearance before Washington County Judge Gary Gilman. The hearing was originally scheduled for arguments over a motion Blackwell filed to challenge some of the charges against his client.
Assistant District Attorney Leslie Ridge said prosecutors weould have been prepared to move forward with the case.
“We’re happy with the way it resolved itself,” she said.
In a separate case, Bartoletti was sentenced in January to pay $10,520 – a $9,800 fine, plus $720 in fees and court costs – and serve six months of probation on charges of hunting out of season and killing a deer. The charges were filed in connection with a 2014 incident in which he was accused of poaching a deer in Washington Cemetery in North Franklin Township.