Charlotte Men With Prior Criminal Histories Are Sentenced To Prison For Unlawful Possession of A Stolen Firearm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dominique Malik Daniels, 23, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

"Stolen firearms pose a significant threat to the safety of our community, particularly when they end up in the hands of prohibited persons," said U.S. Attorney King. "Working with our law enforcement counterparts at the federal, state, and local level, we will continue to join forces to protect our communities and remove illegal firearms from our streets."

"Recovering stolen firearms from prohibited individuals is a critical step toward improving public safety," said Special Agent in Charge Mims. "ATF and our law enforcement partners are committed to locating those offenders who threaten our communities and recovering the firearms used to commit their crimes."

According to documents filed in this case and court proceedings, on December 31, 2020, CMPD officers were dispatched to a 7-Eleven on North Graham Street in Charlotte, after a store clerk alerted law enforcement that two individuals, one of whom was later identified as Daniels, were loitering in the parking lot. Officers responding to the service call interviewed the store clerk who told CMPD officers that he believed Daniels was armed. The officers approached Daniels and recovered from his jacket a 9 mm handgun and a Glock magazine. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that the firearm had been stolen out of Randolph County in North Carolina. Court records show that Daniels was previously convicted of multiple state offenses and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. Court records show that Daniels was previously convicted of multiple state offenses and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. On December 9, 2021, Daniels pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

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In an unrelated case, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. sentenced Dejawn Jermaine King, 26, of Charlotte, to 37 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for illegally possessing a stolen firearm. According to court documents filed in this case, on January 6, 2022, CMPD officers were dispatched to Statesville Road and Sunset Road, where they encountered King passed out at the wheel. After waking up, King began to reach into the vehicle’s center console. Officers were able to remove King from the vehicle and observed a firearm on the driver’s seat. During the investigation, law enforcement determined the firearm had been reported stolen out of Stokes County in North Carolina. King has a prior state conviction and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. King pleaded guilty on June 22, 2022, to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Daniels and King are in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of both cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte was in charge of both prosecutions.

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In July 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina launched Think Again, an informational campaign to educate the public on how to prevent illegal firearms from getting into the wrong hands. The U.S. Attorney’s Office partnered with the ATF in this initiative, in a joint effort to reduce gun-induced violence and to increase reporting of illegal firearms. The campaign encourages the public to submit an anonymous tip about illegal firearms and other criminal activity to the ATF by calling 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), via text at 63975, or online at WWW.ATF.GOV/ATF-TIPS.

For additional information about our Think Again initiative, please visit our website. You can view our Think Again Public Service Announcements here.