Convicted Felon Is Sentenced For Illegally Possessing A Loaded Firearm Fitted With An Extended Magazine

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Monwazee Raymon Boston, 32, of Charlotte was sentenced today to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a loaded firearm fitted with an extended magazine, 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, join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to court documents and court proceedings, on July 21, 2021, law enforcement were surveilling an area known for frequent drug trafficking and illegal firearms activity, when they observed the defendant, with an extended firearms magazine sticking out of his pants, leave the area in his vehicle. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement located Boston's parked vehicle with Boston already outside the vehicle. When Boston saw the officers, he fled on foot and hid behind a truck parked in a driveway. The officers located Boston and placed him under arrest. The officers also found a Glock pistol behind the same truck where Boston hid. The pistol was fitted with a fully loaded 30-round extended magazine, with an additional round in the chamber. Officers also conducted a search of Boston's vehicle where they located 445 methamphetamine pills, and almost half a kilogram of marijuana.

Court documents show that, in 2011, Boston was convicted of drug trafficking and firearms offenses in federal court in South Carolina. Boston was on federal supervised release for that conviction when he possessed the loaded firearm.

On May 1, 2023, Boston pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is 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 the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa 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, and measuring the results.