FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
APRIL 20, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HAGERSTOWN MAN SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS IN PRISON ON
GUN AND DRUG CHARGES
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Michael McElfish, age 30, of Hagerstown today to 21 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Bennett also ordered that McElfish forfeit $4200.
According to his guilty plea, McElfish lived with his sister in Hagerstown. On February 11, 2006, McElfish had a disagreement with his sister and left the home, demanding the return of a safe that he had kept in his bedroom. The safe was brought out of the house to McElfish who was standing in front of a nearby residence. At some point, the safe was dropped, damaging the door and causing it to open. The contents of the safe, including a gun and drugs, were plainly visible.
McElfish called a friend to pick him up. While he was waiting for his friend, a bystander walked by and saw the gun. The bystander called law enforcement. As police arrived, McElfish sped away in his friend’s car with the safe. The car eventually crashed into a wall and McElfish was arrested. Officers recovered $4,250 from McElfish. From the safe in the car, officers also recovered a .25 caliber Dixon semi-automatic handgun; 257.6 grams of crack cocaine; 240.76 grams of powder cocaine; a knife with cocaine residue; and a digital scale.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Hagerstown Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration and commended Assistant United States Attorney Michael Hanlon, who prosecuted the case.