D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Handgun

            WASHINGTON -- Michael Stewart, 29, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute N, N-Dimethylpentylone, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

            Stewart entered the guilty plea in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 25, 2024. Stewart has been detained since Jan. 8, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 8, 2023, at about 2:35 a.m., officers observed Stewart in the area of 7^th and T Streets, Northwest. As officers approached him, Stewart ran diagonally through an intersection with oncoming traffic from at least one direction. Stewart subsequently was apprehended. Officers recovered a black Ruger SR9C firearm from his person. The gun was loaded with one round in the chamber and 15 rounds in the magazine. The extended magazine in the Ruger had a total capacity of 17 rounds. A records check revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen in Atlanta. Officers also recovered two folded $1 bills with white power inside, a scale, $435 in small denomination bills, and 61.8 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone, a designer drug.

            This case was investigated by the MPD and the ATF as part of Project Safe Neighborhood. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Renaud.