Press Release

Defendant Possessed a Ghost Gun/Machinegun and Five Different Controlled Substances with the Intent to Distribute.

Greenbelt, Maryland - On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, the Honorable Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced Boie Barry, age 32, of Hyattsville, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF"), and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George's County Police Department.

According to the guilty plea, law enforcement officers were patrolling Hyattsville, Maryland in September of 2022, when they observed a vehicle parked in a handicap space without a handicap placard. Officers approached the vehicle, smelled and saw marijuana in the vehicle's center console, and directed Barry, who had been sitting in the front passenger seat, to step out. As Barry stepped out, an officer saw a bulge in Barry's front left pocket. The officer repeatedly directed Barry to keep his hands up, and when Barry eventually raised his hands, the officer saw a firearm in his waistband. Barry tried to flee but was stopped by other officers. Officers recovered a 9mm privately manufactured firearm bearing no apparent serial number, commonly known as a "ghost gun," which was equipped with a laser sight and fully automatic switch and loaded with 32 rounds of ammunition. The switch allowed the firearm to fire in fully automatic mode, making it a machinegun. Officers also found bags in Barry's front left pocket containing various controlled substances, including cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, para-fluorofentanyl and fentanyl. They also found $1,565.75 on Barry's person that were proceeds from his drug trafficking.

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 Barron commended ATF and the Prince George's County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rosenthal and Patrick Kibbe, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanay Mitchell, who prosecuted the federal case.

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

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Updated September 13, 2024