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Press Release

Baltimore Man Sentenced to 54 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and For Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman today sentenced Davon Hemphill, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 54 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a stolen firearm and for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Acting Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on January 1, 2022, Baltimore Police Department officers were monitoring a closed-circuit television (“CCTV”) camera that captured the area between the intersections of Carey and Baltimore Street and Carey and Hollins Street, an area known for its high level of drug activity and violence.  Officers saw Hemphill make two hand-to hand exchanges, which officers believed were drug transactions.  Officers also noted that Hemphill was wearing clothing identical to clothing worn by a person of interest in a homicide that had occurred in the same area the prior week.

As detailed in the plea agreement, the officers relayed their observations to other officers in the area so they could initiate a stop.  The responding officers walked north on Carey Street and saw Hemphill walking toward them.  As the officers walked toward him, Hemphill fled, holding his front waistband area as if he were supporting the weight of an object, which the officers suspected was a firearm.  After a short foot-chase, Hemphill was arrested.  A subsequent search of his person recovered a stolen 9mm handgun loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, approximately 65 pills of methamphetamine, one small vial containing a white rock substance, later determined to be cocaine, approximately $2,843 in cash, one clear plastic bag and one clear green flip-top container containing suspected marijuana, and a cell phone.

Hemphill admitted that he possessed the methamphetamine and cocaine with the intent to distribute them and that he knew or had reasonable cause to believe that the firearm was stolen at the time that he possessed it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Tsuei and Patricia C. McLane, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Contact

Marcia Lubin
(410) 209-4854

Updated June 26, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses