U.S. Department
of Justice
Richmond felon sentenced to over four years in prison for possessing a firearm less than a month after being released from prison
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to four years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Aug. 10, 2024, law enforcement observed Desmond Mikal Hawkins, 31, walking in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood in Richmond and noticed what they believed to be a concealed firearm. The officers approached Hawkins and asked him if he had a concealed carry permit, and Hawkins falsely claimed that he did but that he did not have it with him. Officers detained Hawkins and recovered a loaded handgun from underneath his shirt in his waistband.
Hawkins is a previously convicted felon, most recently in 2023 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hawkins had been released from prison less than a month before the current offense and was on federal supervised release at the time. As a previously convicted felon, Hawkins cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen H. Theisen prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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. 3:25-cr-5.