Fleeing felon found with firearm faces federal fate

RICHMOND, Va. - A Richmond man pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on Feb. 28, 2024, Israel Maleek Mangram, 23, failed to maintain his lane while driving on Interstate 95. A Trooper with Virginia State Police ran the information on the vehicle and learned that the owner had a suspended driver's license. The Trooper could not see the driver, so he initiated a traffic stop to investigate. Mangram pulled the vehicle onto the right shoulder of the interstate but did not stop. Mangram returned to the travel lanes of the interstate and increased his speed to over 100 mph. After a high-speed chase, Mangram lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a single-family home.

Mangram tried to climb out of the passenger-side window. The Trooper approached Mangram, who was lying next to the passenger-side of the SUV and ordered Mangram to show his hands. Lying next to Mangram was a handgun. Mangram was convicted of robbery on Aug. 5, 2020. As a previously convicted felon, Mangram cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.

Mangram is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2025, and faces up to 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James VanVliet, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-109.