Source: Office of United States Attorneys
WASHINGTON – Clarence Faulkner, 42, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to federal firearms and drug charges, announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Faulkner pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession with intent to distribute (phencyclidine) before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, on November 4, 2023, MPD officers were patrolling on the 300 block of 61st Street, NE. They spotted a running unoccupied red sedan parked on the side of the street. Officers got out of their patrol car to investigate. They were able to contact the owner and advise him not to leave his vehicle running and unattended.
Parked in front of the red sedan was a gray Acura. Officers approached the Acura to make sure it had not been tampered with. In plain view, on the rear passenger floorboard, officers saw a clear plastic bag filled with a green leafy substance that officers recognized was a large quantity of marijuana. Officers then opened and searched the vehicle. Inside they recovered more than two pounds of marijuana, 108 grams of cocaine base, six fluid ounces of liquid phencyclidine (PCP), and a loaded Glock semi-automatic pistol that had been modified into a short-barreled rifle. The short-barreled rifle was loaded with 28 rounds in a 31-capacity feeding device. Officers also found $38,891 in cash, a wallet with an ID for Clarence Faulkner, mail addressed to Faulkner, and Faulkner’s vehicle registration for the gray Acura in the vehicle. Police stopped and arrested Faulkner, who had been standing on a sidewalk nearby.
Federal law prohibits Faulkner from possessing a firearm because he has multiple prior felony convictions, to include prior convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Faulkner faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Faulkner has been held since his arrest.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and ATF’s Washington Field Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer and Special U.S. Attorney Katherine Toth.
-30-