Convicted Felon Is Sentenced To Prison For Illegally Possessing Firearms On Three Separate Occasions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Quincy Dushawn McWaine, 26, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 82 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Alicia Jones, Acting 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.

According to information contained in court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, between July 2021 and June 2022, McWaine illegally possessed firearms on three separate occasions. Specifically, court documents show that on July 2, 2021, CMPD officers were dispatched on a service call for an alleged assault with a deadly weapon. Responding officers approached McWaine to question him in connection with the incident and observed a firearm sticking out of the defendant’s pant pocket. McWaine was arrested and officers removed two firearms from the defendant’s pockets, one of which had been reported stolen. In addition to the firearms, officers also seized from the vehicle digital scales, marijuana, more than $25,000 in cash, and a Glock magazine.

According to court records, the second incident occurred on December 10, 2021, while CMPD officers were investigating McWaine in connection with a shooting incident. CMPD officers located McWaine, who was on court-ordered electronic monitoring for prior offenses, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle he was driving. McWaine did not stop and tried to evade arrest, first by speeding away in his vehicle and later on foot. McWaine was apprehended shortly thereafter. Investigating officers also found a firearm McWaine had discarded while he fled on foot. The recovered firearm was affixed with a large capacity magazine and was loaded with five rounds of ammunition.

The third incident took place on June 3, 2022, while CMPD officers were attempting to execute outstanding arrest warrants against McWaine. Officers located McWaine seated in the rear passenger seat of a vehicle parked at a gas station, and the defendant was taken into custody. Arresting officers also searched the vehicle and located a loaded firearm tucked under the seat where McWaine had been sitting.

On June 20, 2023, McWaine pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. He remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and CMPD.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

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, a