Baltimore Felon Pleads Guilty To Illegal Possession Of A Firearm And Ammunition And Is Sentenced To Four Years In Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland - Jermaine Washington, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on July 19, 2024 to a federal charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to serve a term of four years of incarceration.

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

Washington has previously been convicted of armed robbery in Maryland state court in 2006 and again in 2013. According to his guilty plea, on May 6, 2022, Baltimore Police Department officers performed a traffic stop near the 1700 block of Ramsay Street after noticing that a vehicle - later found to be driven by Washington - had an inoperable brake light and tag light, and expired registration. After stopping the car and identifying Washington, officers determined Washington had an outstanding state arrest warrant for domestic assault. Officers also examined the interior of Washington's vehicle using a flashlight and observed a handgun in plain view on the driver's-side floorboard. The officers then entered the vehicle and recovered a Sig-Sauer .40 caliber handgun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition. As a part of his plea agreement, Washington admitted that he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition as a result of the two previous armed robbery convictions.

As a part of his plea agreement, Washington and the government agreed that Washington would be sentenced to a term of 48 months (four years) in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson accepted this plea agreement today and, upon Washington's request, held a contemporaneous sentencing hearing, imposing the agreed-upon term of 48 months incarceration, and sentencing Washington to a subsequent term of three years supervised release.

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 the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven T. Brantley, who prosecuted the case.

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

# # #