OAKLAND — A man has been sentenced to federal prison for a 2024 gun arrest outside of a notable local restaurant where he worked, and court records say police probably never would have been looking for him if not for a homicide from days earlier.
Joshua Pittman, 35, was sentenced to six years and nine months behind bars, split between convictions of violating supervised release in a prior gun conviction, and this more recent charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The defense had asked for 27 months, relying on arguments that Pittman is “well on his way to rehabilitation” and a litany of support letters, including one from his young stepdaughter that included a drawing of a duck for the judge.
Federal prosecutors tried to convince Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White that Pittman shot and killed 51-year-old Robert Ortega in a wild June 23, 2024 Oakland shootout near a basketball event. But the defense said video of the shooting shows the killer “is demonstrably not Mr. Pittman” and news reports of the allegations “caused Mr. Pittman’s family immense public scrutiny and consternation.” White sided with the defense, striking the portion of a probation report that references the homicide.
Police investigating Ortega’s killing went looking for Pittman to question him five days after the homicide, and found him at Pierre Pierre restaurant at the Tribune Tower, where he worked. He was arrested on suspicion of gun possession in a Tesla outside the restaurant, where prosecutors say Pittman was seen sitting with a known “Page Street gang member.” The gun was linked to Pittman through DNA, authorities said.
Pittman’s lawyer said in court filings that his client knows it was wrong to have a gun.
“Josh is a man of strong character, integrity, and great stature. He is dependable, respectful, and consistently demonstrates tact and diplomacy in how he handles situations and communicates with others,” a letter by his brother-in-law says. “He approaches challenges calmly and thoughtfully, always striving to do what is right.”
Pittman had been convicted of a prior gun offense in 2022, stemming from a law enforcement operation where Oakland police once again arrested Pittman with a Page Street gang member, prosecutors said. After receiving a 42-month sentence, Pittman was released from prison and got a job from a longtime friend at the Pierre Pierre restaurant, according to court records.
The same restaurant would become the center of a local media storm a year later, when a well-known Richmond rapper and a 31-year-old woman were shot and wounded there in an unrelated incident. At the time of the investigation, police believed the target was the then-24-year-old rapper, who sometimes performs with the Vallejo group SOB x RBE, and who had recorded a video alongside another Oakland rapper who was wanted on murder charges days before the shooting.
Thus far, the only person charged in connection with the Pierre Pierre shooting was the man who drove the Richmond resident to the hospital; prosecutors say he was seen tossing a gun out of the window of a Ford truck on the way. He wasn’t allowed to possess guns due to a 2023 conviction for grand theft, stemming from a robbery where the victim was followed from Antioch to Pleasanton, according to court records.
As for Ortega’s still technically unsolved homicide, police said at the time there were several suspected gunmen, including a man associated with Ortega. Another suspect, Shunnee King, was arrested on suspicion of accessory but never charged in the killing. Federal prosecutors did charge him with violating supervised release in a prior sex trafficking conviction, but he was released from house arrest earlier this year. The alleged violations involved smoking marijuana while on probation.