Category: US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Antowan L. Wade, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Wade was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On Aug. 3, 2023, Wade pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On May 9, 2022, members of the U.S. Probation Office conducted a search of Wade’s apartment. Wade was on supervised release after serving a federal prison sentence for bank robbery. Officers found a Canik55 9mm semi-automatic pistol with 16 rounds of ammunition under a pillow on the bed in his bedroom.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Wade has two prior felony convictions for bank robbery, a prior felony conviction for the robbery of a Best Buy store in Joplin, Missouri, and prior felony convictions for making and passing counterfeit currency and for burglary.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Pedro Gomez Jr., 31, of LaPorte, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Gomez was sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by fice years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, during the fall of 2022, Gomez and his co-defendant, Monica Harrington, distributed methamphetamine in the Michigan City area. In October 2022, co-defendant Amanda West supplied Gomez and Harrington with an ounce of methamphetamine. In total, Gomez distributed almost 200 grams of methamphetamine.

Harrington was previously sentenced to 75 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. West was previously sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the DEA North Central Laboratory and the LaPorte County Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelan McKenzie Doyle.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — David Jackson, 45, of Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on Jan. 24 to an aggregate sentence of 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons for distribution of heroin and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Jackson will also be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release following that sentence of imprisonment.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Jackson prepared, packaged and sold heroin while in possession of a firearm. Also at the hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid found that Jackson qualified as a career offender based on certain prior convictions.

Jackson remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals, where he has been since his federal arrest on June 8, 2022. The defendant pleaded guilty on July 5, 2023, before Judge Shadid.

The statutory penalties for distribution of heroin are up to 20 years’ imprisonment and up to a $1 million fine. The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime require a minimum sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence in the case.

The Springfield Police Department’s Pro-Active Crime Unit investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Jackson is part of a committed effort to combat gun violence in Sangamon County, Illinois, by law enforcement including the Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office, the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.   

The firearms case against Washington is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on Jan. 29 Malik Pratt, 26, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss to 35 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release following his guilty plea to robbing the People’s United Bank branch in Burlington on March 1, 2022. The court also ordered Pratt to pay restitution to the bank for the amount stolen.

According to court records, Burlington Police Department officers were dispatched to the People’s United Bank on North Avenue in Burlington on March 1, 2022, at 10:06 a.m., following reports of a bank robbery. Bank employees stated that the robber threatened to shoot them and demanded cash. After acquiring cash, the robber fled the bank on foot, jumping over a fence near the Ethan Allan Parkway to escape. The bank reported a total of $1,316 in U.S. currency stolen. Within weeks, Burlington detectives and federal agents identified Pratt as the robber. He was charged with bank robbery on March 18, 2022, and pleaded guilty on Oct. 11, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the Burlington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on their collaborative investigation of Pratt.

The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Van de Graaf. Pratt is represented by Richard R. Goldsborough, Esq.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BANGOR, Maine — A Stratton man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court today for his role in a violent home invasion in Rangeley in 2016.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced John Raymond, 36, to 48 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to court records, in July 2016, Raymond, along with others, developed a plan to steal controlled substances from a Rangeley residence. On July 28, 2016, Raymond purchased drugs from the owner of the residence, confirming the illegal drug trafficking. He then drove two of the co-conspirators to the residence later the same evening, remaining in the car while the two men entered the home. During the commission of the robbery, the intended target of the robbery shot and killed one of the co-conspirators. Raymond fled the scene when he heard the commotion and was later stopped by police officers while driving another co-conspirator to a bus station.

Co-conspirators Andre Muller (aka “Dre Muller”), 53, and Robert Holland (aka “Kurt Holland”), 44, both of New York, were both convicted in a jury trial in November 2023 and are awaiting sentencing. Hector Munoz, 56, of Florida pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 12, 2024, to 54 months’ imprisonment.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Maine State Police; Rangeley Police Department; U.S. Border Patrol; and Carrabassett Valley Police Department investigated the case, with assistance provided by the Maine Office of the Attorney General.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

ST. LOUIS — U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a teen from Jefferson County, Missouri, to 70 months in prison for selling guns and drugs in St. Louis and Fenton.

Donye “El Baggo” Peace, 19, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to four counts of distribution of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and one count of dealing firearms without a license. 

Peace admitted selling cocaine to undercover agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Aug. 19, 2022, Aug. 26, 2022, Sept. 7, 2022, and Sept. 15, 2022. He also sold a Glock pistol to the agent on Sept. 7 and two more pistols on Sept. 15.

Peace’s publicly accessible Instagram account had a hyperlink to a Telegram group chat page called “Local Pharmacy,” which offered drugs for sale and provided a phone number. He later created a Telegram group chat called “LocalAmmunitions,” which offered firearms for sale.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Two brothers have been sentenced to terms in federal prison for their roles in a July 2021 armed robbery of a marijuana dealer in San Bernardino, which resulted in the victim’s death from gunshot wounds, the Justice Department announced today.

Martrell Patrick Shaw, 20, of San Bernardino, one of two people who robbed the victim, was sentenced late Monday by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal to 20 years in federal prison.

At a separate hearing on Monday, Judge Bernal sentenced Rontrell Brainell Shaw, 22, of San Bernardino, the robbery crew’s getaway driver, to 14 years in federal prison. Both defendants were ordered to pay $14,342 in restitution to the victim’s father for funeral expenses.

Martrell Shaw pleaded guilty in May 2023 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death. Rontrell Shaw pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery.

According to court documents, on July 31, 2021, co-defendant Dillion Jones, 20, of San Bernardino, the Shaw brothers’ cousin, placed an order with the victim — identified in court documents as “D.M.” — for one pound of marijuana. Jones placed the order knowing that neither he, Martrell Shaw nor Rontrell Shaw had enough money to pay for it. Instead, the trio planned to rob the victim at gunpoint. Jones and Martrell Shaw brought a loaded firearm with them while Rontrell Shaw acted as their driver.

Once the victim arrived at what he thought was the drug deal location in San Bernardino, Martrell Shaw and Jones robbed him at gunpoint. During the robbery, one of the robbers discharged the firearm twice, striking the victim in the neck and torso. Martrell Shaw and Jones then stole the marijuana and a firearm belonging to the victim, who later died from the gunshot wounds he suffered.

Rontrell Shaw then picked up Martrell Shaw and Jones and drove away to avoid detection by law enforcement. Shortly after picking them up, Rontrell Shaw learned the victim was shot during the robbery, and he eventually learned that the victim died from his wounds.

“These defendants’ greed and violence led to the death of the victim,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Their disregard for human life has left the victim’s family and friends devastated. My office’s priority is public safety and today’s sentences show our continued determination to punish and deter violent criminals.”

“These violent individuals clearly have no regard for life,” said ATF Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Bombardiere. “In this instance, greed outweighed humanity. Today is a win for justice and a heavy message to the community. Law enforcement will combine their resources and all our areas of expertise to find these trigger pullers. We will build the cases and win; they will lose.”

Jones pleaded guilty in September 2023 to one count of Hobbs Act conspiracy, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of discharging a firearm in during a crime of violence resulting in death and one count of possession of a stolen firearm. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 1, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the San Bernardino Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter H. Dahlquist of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

NEW ORLEANS — U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that Darran Boykins, 29, pled guilty on Jan. 25 to being a felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Boykins up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. Boykins’s sentencing is set for April 25.

According to court documents, on March 20, 2021, New Orleans Police Department officers responded to an aggravated assault with a firearm at a residence in the Seventh Ward neighborhood of New Orleans. During the investigation, officers discovered ammunition in a dresser in the residence, along with Boykins’s Louisiana identification card. Boykins had prior felony convictions punishable by a term of imprisonment in excess of one year, that made his ammunition possession illegal. Most recently, Boykins was convicted on Jan. 23, 2019, in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

MINNEAPOLIS — An Onamia man has been sentenced to 292 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm following a domestic assault, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, on Nov. 19, 2020, Leech Lake Tribal Police were dispatched to a residence following a report that Justin Lyle Cutbank, 37, had physically assaulted a woman, held her at gunpoint, threatened to kill her and then fled the residence into the woods. Shortly after officers arrived at the residence and took the victim’s statement, a neighbor reported that Cutbank was in their garage and refused to leave. Officers from multiple agencies responded to the location and found Cutbank barricaded in the garage. Several hours of negotiations followed with Cutbank retreating into the attic of the garage and refusing to surrender. Ultimately, officers were able to apprehend Cutbank, who continued to actively resist arrest. The following day, officers searched the wooded area where Cutbank had fled and found a Marlin Model 100 .22 caliber rifle with no serial number, a knife and the victim’s cell phone.

Because Cutbank has multiple prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. 

On March 17, 2023, Cutbank was convicted by a federal jury on one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Michael J. Davis.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

NEW YORK — Earlier today, a federal grand jury in Brooklyn returned a two-count indictment charging Isaiah Dukes, aka “Lil Zay Osama,” with possession of a machinegun and possession of an unregistered firearm. Dukes is presently in state custody in Illinois on unrelated charges and will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn at a later date.  

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Tommy Kalogiros, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives New York Field Office; and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department, announced the indictment.

“As alleged, Dukes brought a machinegun into our district, and then dangerously left it in the back of a rideshare,” stated U.S. Attorney Peace. “This office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work diligently to protect our communities from such dangerous weapons.”

“Machineguns have been highly regulated in the United States since the 1930s and have been banned since 1986. Machineguns have no place on the streets of our communities. They are weapons intended to kill and injure with maximum effect, with the shooter often firing uncontrollably and indiscriminately. They pose a significant danger to both the public and law enforcement. Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder that machinegun conversion devices, such as switches, violate federal law, and that possession will not be tolerated. The men and women of ATF will continue to work with our partners to reduce the proliferation of these devices on our streets. Thanks to ATF NY’s Joint Firearms Task Force, ATF Chicago, NYPD and EDNY,” stated ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kalogiros.

“Today’s indictment is a stark reminder that loaded, illegal firearms – sometimes modified to maximize their deadly potential, as alleged in this case – continue to be brought into and carried throughout New York City,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Let me be clear: This behavior will not be tolerated here, and the NYPD vows to keep our streets safe from guns and anyone who unlawfully possesses them. I commend and thank the rideshare driver who observed this weapon for doing what we always ask of all New Yorkers: He saw something and he said something, and he possibly saved lives in the process.”

As alleged in public filings, on Sept. 29, 2022, Dukes carried a loaded Glock pistol affixed with a switch — a device that when attached to the back of a handgun like a Glock converts the firearm into a fully automatic weapon. Law enforcement subsequently determined that the firearm can automatically fire more than one round with a single function of the trigger, rendering it a machinegun. Dukes was arrested after leaving the firearm in a rideshare vehicle that brought him from a luxury hotel in Manhattan to a recording studio in Queens. 

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of all counts, the defendant faces a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilbert M. Rein and Rebecca M. Schuman are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Rachel Friedman.

Defendant:
Isaiah Dukes
Age: 26
Calumet City, Illinois

E.D.N.Y. docket number 24-CR-28 (NRM)

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