Baltimore Felon Exiled to More than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Michael Martin, age 28, of Baltimore, today to 188 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession in a firearm, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Quarles enhanced Martin’s sentence after finding that he was an armed career criminal based on two previous drug convictions and a conviction for assault with intent to murder.

According to his guilty plea, on April 10, 2007, Baltimore City Police Officers were executing a search warrant at Martin’s residence. Prior to executing the search warrants, police officers observed Martin sitting in the front driver’s seat of a 1995 Lincoln sedan. When police officers executed a search warrant for the vehicle, they recovered a black bag containing a loaded 10 mm Glock handgun and a loaded 9 mm Rugar handgun. They also recovered a .45 caliber Beretta pistol, which was laying against the black bag. The Beretta and the black bag were all located on the front driver’s seat floorboard. Police officers also seized 148 grams of crack cocaine, packaged in 43 clear plastic bags, from the center console of the car and recovered the key to the 1995 Lincoln sedan from Martin when they executed the search warrants.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Assistant State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger, the Baltimore City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who is prosecuting the case.