19 Face U.S. Firearms Charges

Anti-Gang Task Force, Local Police Helped Build Cases

Nineteen people from Prince George's County have been charged with federal firearms violations, Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said yesterday.

Fifteen of the defendants were indicted or charged directly by federal prosecutors in the past three days, Rosenstein said. The other four were charged within the past two weeks.

The suspects are charged with a variety of gun crimes, including unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawfully selling firearms, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition, federal prosecutors said. One defendant is also charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, authorities said.

Cases against the defendants were built by members of a regional anti-gang task force, which includes federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Prince George's police, officials said.

Rosenstein said federal prosecutors worked with Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey and county police to determine which suspects should be charged in federal court.

Defendants who are convicted of a federal gun crime, without an accompanying crime of violence, are more likely to receive longer prison sentences than those charged and convicted of similar crimes in state court, Rosenstein noted. Many defendants convicted of similar illegal gun possession crimes in state court receive probation or a few days in jail.

"The reality is that too many criminals who are charged in state court with illegal gun possession end up with very light sentences," Rosenstein said.

By contrast, in the federal system, defendants who are convicted of gun crimes often receive sentences of five to 20 years in prison, depending on their history of criminal convictions.