Suitland Felon Exiled to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing a Gun
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Leconie Williams IV, age 35, of Suitland, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Messitte enhanced Williams' sentence upon finding that the gun he illegally possessed had an obliterated serial number.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge Marino F. Vidoli of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George's County Police Department; and Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.
According to evidence presented at trial, on June 12, 2009, Williams and his friends had been drinking and smoking PCP dippers
in Suitland. Around 1:00 a.m., Williams stopped his car in the middle of Huron Avenue to speak with someone who was standing in the street. A Prince George’s County Police officer arrived and tried to get Williams to move his car out of the way. After Williams tried to wave the police car past, the officer executed a traffic stop. Another officer arrived and saw Williams furtively pull a gun from his pants and attempt to hide the gun under the driver's seat.
The officers pulled the defendant out of the car and seized a 9mm handgun with a partially obliterated serial number, loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition, including one bullet in the chamber. The gun's safety was off and was ready to be fired. Williams had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a gun.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Prince George’s County Police Department and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Mara Zusman Greenberg, Special Assistant United States Attorney Hans Miller of the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Special Assistant United States Attorney Erin Pulice of the U.S. Justice Department, Tax Division, Northern Criminal Enforcement Section, who prosecuted the case.
###