U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Convictions in Six Federal Firearms and Fentanyl Cases This Week Involved in the Project Safe Neighborhood Gun Violence Reduction Program

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced convictions in six federal cases involving firearms and fentanyl that are being prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  These six cases were brought pursuant to initiatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office designed to reduce gun violence and to stop the sale of fentanyl in Baltimore.

“The successful prosecutions and convictions in these six firearms and fentanyl cases demonstrates the United States Attorney’s Office’s commitment to addressing gun violence and the trafficking of fentanyl,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner.  “Our strategy to reduce violent crime in Baltimore relies on enforcement efforts to prosecute those individuals who are driving the violence and importing deadly drugs, as well as community outreach and prevention efforts to help potential offenders make better choices for themselves and their families and communities.  I would like to thank all of the prosecutors, investigators and community outreach specialists for their dedication to making our communities safer places to live for all residents.  All of us in Baltimore are in this fight against violent crime together.”

The six project safe neighborhood convictions from this week include:  

United States v. Sedrick Sutton: On September 17, 2021, U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Sutton to five years in federal prison for being possessing a stolen firearm. As a result of an altercation observed on a city watch camera, law enforcement identified Sutton as an individual that was present at the altercation. At the time of the altercation, Sutton possessed a handgun in his waistband. Officers arrived at the scene and located Sutton. As a result of a search of Sutton’s persons, officers recovered a loaded handgun from his waistband.

United States v. Daiquan Mayo: On September 29, 2021, U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Mayo to 50 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Mayo was apprehended for his participation in a non-fatal West Baltimore shooting near Edmonson Village. Mayo was a passenger in a vehicle involved in the shooting. As law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle, Mayo fled on foot and threw a loaded .40 caliber pistol off of his persons. Ballistics analysis concluded that the firearm Mayo threw matched the gun used in the shooting minutes earlier.

United States v. Damien Parker: On September 28, 2021, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Parker to 60 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentencing comes as a result of officers observing Parker conducting a suspected drug transactions Baltimore, Maryland. Officers also observed the Parker conducting "security checks" which is a characteristic of an armed individual. Patrol officers responded to the block and arrested Parker. As a result of a search, officers recovered a loaded firearm, 43 jugs of suspected cocaine packaged for distribution.

United States v. Jeffrey Keyser: On September 28, 2021, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Keyser to 44 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentencing comes as a result of a traffic stop on a vehicle that Keyser was operating. As officers approached Keyser’s vehicle, Kesyer sped away and crashed into another car. When pulling Keyser out of the vehicle, police found a firearm on the floor by the driver-side front door. Swabs from non-bloodied portions of the gun returned a match for Keyser's DNA. Keyser also made incriminating statements over jail calls.

United States v. George Graham: Today, Graham is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher for possession of a firearm as a prohibited person. The sentencing comes as a result of officers using real time investigations, and conducting a traffic stop of Graham’s vehicle for illegal tint and a cracked windshield. During the stop, officers noted the order of marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked the Graham to step out of the vehicle. Graham admitted to having marijuana on his person. As officers searched the vehicle, Graham attempted to flee the scene. As a result of the search, officers recovered a loaded firearm from the center console.

United States v. Qarier Lovelace: Today, Lovelace is expected to enter a guilty plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher. The plea comes as a result of officers responding to a hospital alter for an non-fatal shooting victim. Upon responding, officers spoke with a male who advised he had been shot while present at a dispute between his girlfriend and another woman. While present at the scene, a male walked through the parking lot before approaching the group, advising the women to resolve their dispute, and shooting the male in the leg. Upon reviewing a photo, a victim identified Lovelace as the shooter. Based on this, officers obtained and executed a search warrant associated with Lovelace. As a result of the search warrant, Officers recovered a safe with two loaded firearms, ammunition, two knotted bags of white powder, and paperwork bearing Lovelace’s name. One of these firearms was reported stolen from a federal firearm license in 2017. Lovelace’s fingerprints were located on the firearm. Officers also recovered parts of a revolver, ammunition, bags of white and brown powders, drug paraphernalia, and a digital scale. CDS analysis showed the presence of heroin and cocaine. During a post-Miranda interview, the defendant admitted to living at the residence, ownership of the drugs, and ownership of the safe.

The continued success of the firearm reduction initiative in Baltimore is in part due to the work of the Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) who work in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and are employed by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City and funded through grants from the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth & Victim Services. 

In the effort to positively influence and encourage previous offenders to pursue a crime-free lifestyle, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland supports and often participates in previous offender re-entry efforts. On October 13, 2021, the USAO-MD is supporting a re-entry resource fair hosted by the Bridge Center at Adam’s House, the Prince George’s County Reentry Advisory Board, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office, and the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections at the Palmer Park Community Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The re-entry event will connect past offenders with employment opportunities as well as educational, financial, health resources, and more. For more information on the re-entry event, please visit https://twitter.com/USAO_MD/status/1444010091896836130.

These cases are 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program (PSN), a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime that combines local, state and federal law enforcement efforts; community outreach; and public awareness, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.

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