New Bern Gang Member Sentenced to 10 years in Prison For Possession of a Firearm as a Felon

RALEIGH, N.C. – A New Bern  man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.  Nathan Sheptock, 24, pled guilty to the charge on August 22, 20224.   

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Nathan Sheptock, a validated Crip street gang member, illegally possessed two firearms including an AK-style 12-guage shotgun with a 10-round magazine. On August 9, 2023, North Carolina Probation responded to a verbal altercation between Sheptock and a woman at Sheptock’s house on Kinston Street in New Bern. Since Sheptock was actively on probation at the time, probation officers conducted a warrantless search of the house and observed what appeared to be narcotics in plain sight.  A witness also reported that Sheptock was keeping firearms in the house. New Bern Police then obtained a search warrant for the house and found firearms hidden in the backyard. The firearms were DNA tested and lab confirmed to contain Sheptock’s DNA.

Sheptock has a violent criminal history, including multiple convictions for Common Law Robbery from a series of robberies of pizza delivery drivers that Sheptock and an accomplice carried out in 2017.

“When violent felons such as Mr. Sheptock possess firearms, they are committing serious federal crimes and endangering our communities,” Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated today.  “I commend the FBI and our state partners at the New Bern Police Department and NC Probation for their hard work in this case, which brought Sheptock to justice.”

“The FBI will not tolerate violent gang members who break the law and then disregard the restrictions they brought upon themselves as convicted felons. Mr. Sheptock was convicted of multiple robberies in 2017, therefore prohibited from owning a weapon. The FBI and our partners at the New Bern Police Department are unwavering in our commitment to making our communities safer for everyone,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina. 

This case was brought as part of the New Bern Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) which is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the New Bern Police Department, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the District Attorney for the region. A primary objective of VCAP is to investigate and prosecute individuals contributing significantly to crime in New Bern and surrounding areas.

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  New Bern PD, the FBI, and NC Probation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Aubart and Julie Childress prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-CR-61-D-BM.

###