FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
October 23, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DENTON MAN EXILED FOR BEING A FELON IN POSSESSION OF A GUN
Sold 4 Stolen Guns to Undercover Law Enforcement Officer
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Michael Lednum, age 24, of Denton, Maryland, today to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm , announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to Lednum’s plea agreement, in January 2009, the Maryland State Police began investigating a person, later identified as Michael Lednum, who was selling guns without a license. An undercover operation was set up in Stevensville, Maryland to purchase guns from Lednum. On January 21, 2009 Lednum sent undercover officers pictures of guns for sale and the officers arranged to meet Lednum at a local restaurant to buy four guns for $1,000. Lednum met the undercover officers in the restaurant parking lot and the officers purchased a .45 caliber rifle, a .223 caliber rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun and a..223 caliber rifle.
Law enforcement officials attempted to stop Lednum’s car after it left the parking lot. Instead Lednum drove his car to a gas station in Stevensville, got out and ran away. After a chase lasting over a mile, police officers arrested Lednum.
On January 22, 2009, a search warrant was issued for Lednum’s residence and law enforcement recovered several guns, including a .220 caliber rifle; a .50 caliber rifle; a .44 caliber black powder pistol; a .44 caliber revolver; a .22 caliber blank gun; and a .308 caliber assault rifle. Further investigation revealed that several of the guns recovered from Lednum’s residence, as well as those bought by the undercover officer, were previously stolen in a home burglary.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Maryland State Police, Queen Anne’s County Sheriff R. Gery Hoffmann III, Dorchester County Sheriff James W. Phillips, Caroline County Sheriff Phillip L. Brown and their offices, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their work in this investigation. Mr. Rosenstein also thanked Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Lance Richardson, Dorchester County State’s Attorney William H. Jones and Caroline County State’s Attorney Jonathan Newell for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Mushtaq Z. Gunja, who prosecuted the case.