Federal Judge Sentences Armed Convicted Detroit Felon to 200 Months in Prison

DETROIT – A Detroit man with multiple felony convictions and on federal supervised release was sentenced to over 16 years’ imprisonment today for possession of firearms, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced.

Gorgon was joined in the announcement by ATF Detroit Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Justin Meyer.

Cartez Howard, 38, of Detroit, Michigan was convicted by a jury of two counts of possession of firearms as a felon in December 2025. On May 26, 2026, United States District Judge Laurie J. Michelson sentenced Howard to 200 months in federal prison.

According to court records, in September 2025, Howard, a convicted felon with a violent criminal history, was on federal supervised release and got into an argument over a parking spot outside a business. The argument ended when Howard pulled an AR-style rifle from his car, pointed it at the victim, and fired a shot at the victim’s feet. Howard then tried to grab the victim’s glasses before driving away. The victim followed Howard to report him. Howard drove into a residential neighborhood and fired approximately 30 shots. Eleven days later, Howard drove the same car to a gas station with the same rifle in the backseat, and abandoned the car when police located it. After Howard was arrested, agents searched Howard’s apartment, where they found a second gun hidden in his bedroom closet—tucked under a baby blanket in the room he shared with his infant child and the child’s mother.

“This man is the kind of hell-raiser that can make a neighborhood unlivable. He did just about everything wrong with a gun, except kill somebody. We are thankful that the ATF took him off of our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.

“Howard repeatedly showed a complete disregard for human life and the safety of those around him — including children inside the home where firearms were hidden. Violent felons who continue to arm themselves and terrorize our communities will be held accountable. This 16 years plus sentence sends a clear message that ATF and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue armed violent offenders.” — ATF Detroit Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Justin Meyer.

The ATF investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas McIntyre and Nhan Ho prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.