Felon on Supervised Release Sentenced in Possessing and Firing Pistol

            WASHINGTON – Bruce R. Hart, 31, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 34 months in federal prison for his unlawful possession of a loaded pistol and a 28-round capacity magazine while he was on supervised release for a Maryland robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Hart pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2025, before Judge Amy Berman Jackson to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and to endangerment with a firearm in a public place. In addition to the 34-month prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Hart to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on Oct. 26, 2024, about 9:45 p.m., Hart was with two other men on the 1800 block of Wiltberger St., NW, when he fired one round from a handgun into the air. The incident was captured on surveillance camera. The men then ran north on Wiltberger St.

            A police officer later spotted Hart on the 1900 block of 7th Street about one block away from the shooting. At 10:43 p.m., the officer attempted to stop Hart. Hart fled, running through traffic across Florida Avenue. Officers apprehended Hart after a brief pursuit on Bohrer Street NW, and recovered a loaded firearm equipped with a large capacity magazine tucked into the waistband of his pants.

            Hart has a prior felony conviction for robbery in Prince George’s County, Maryland, for which he was sentenced on Nov. 29, 2023, to 10 years imprisonment, with nine years and six months suspended, and a three-year term of supervised probation.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Green and Brendan M. Horan. -  24cr528

Surveillance image showing a muzzle flash as Hart discharged a firearm on the 1800 block of Wiltberger Street NW

The firearm, magazine, and ammunition recovered from Hart’s waistband following his arrest.

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