Washington DC Felon Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Firearm

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Washington, DC, felon received a federal-prison term for firearm-possession charges. 

Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Kevin Darnell Ayers, 44, to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Jarod J. Towers, Hyattsville Police Department (HPD).

According to court documents, on December 5, 2024, security personnel discovered a loaded handgun in Ayers’s bag as he went through security at the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County. Law enforcement subsequently learned that Ayers was at the courthouse to attend his own trial for domestic-related charges. The handgun contained approximately six rounds of ammunition. 

Ayers’s previous felony convictions prohibited him from possessing a firearm and ammunition. Additionally, Ayers was on supervised release for an assault conviction, along with pretrial release for his pending state charges, at the time he possessed the handgun. 

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.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and HPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle A. Li and Kenneth S. Clark who prosecuted this federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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