Joseph Thompson, 37, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty on July 15 in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Thompson entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 18, 2026.
According to court documents, members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Robbery Suppression Unit encountered Thompson on March 7, 2025, outside the South Capitol Liquor Store in the 4600 block of Livingston Road SE. As officers approached him, Thompson ended his conversation and entered the store. An officer observed a heavy object in Thompson’s jacket pocket after his coat shifted open. When another officer commented that his pocket looked heavy, Thompson fled from police and threw a firearm into the street during the pursuit.
Police recovered a loaded .45-caliber pistol with one round in the chamber and thirteen additional rounds in the magazine. The gun was not registered in Washington, D.C., and Thompson did not have a concealed carry permit.
Thompson has a prior felony conviction from Arlington County, Virginia, dating back to 2017 for which he served five years in prison; this conviction prohibits him from possessing any firearms under federal law.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole prosecuted the matter under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative.