Jury Convicts Hampton Recidivist of Possessing Assault Rifle, Fentanyl and Other Illicit Items

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Hampton man on charges of conspiracy, drug and firearm charges.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on November 15, 2021, Jonathan C. Long, 39, of Hampton, was arrested for failing to appear on a federal supervised release violation. A search of the residence that had been leased by his then girlfriend, now wife, revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine base, hundreds of vials for distribution to users, five cell phones, and three firearms, including an assault rifle. Over 100 rounds of ammunition were also located that included armor piercing and hollow point bullets. An additional cell phone and round of ammunition were located in another residence previously used by Long. Evidence extracted from cell phones and jail communications revealed the scope of Long’s drug dealing, his efforts to avoid apprehension by law enforcement from April through November 2021, and his location during this time. One of the firearms recovered had been purchased for Long, who was a prohibited person as a convicted felon, in April 2021, by one of his drug addict customers from a pawn shop in Hampton. 

Long was convicted of all five counts in the indictment, including drug conspiracy, possession of over 40 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and maintaining a drug premises. He faces a mandatory minimum term of 35 years in prison when sentenced on April 24, 2023. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Talbot, Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Samuels and Julie Podlesni and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace H. Bowen are prosecuting the case.

This investigation was also conducted by the FBI’s Peninsula Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership that includes the FBI, Virginia State Police, Hampton Police Division, James City County Police Department, Newport News Police Department, and United States Postal Inspection Service. This task force investigates the most violent criminal enterprises operating on the Virginia Peninsula. Tips regarding gang activity and other violent crimes in the region can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or www.fbi.gov/tips.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-37.