Baltimore, Maryland - Fourteen defendants arrested with illegal guns in Baltimore this summer will now face federal charges as a result of an alliance between local and federal officials. The names of the defendants will be disclosed when they are transferred from state custody to federal court next week.
Under an initiative by the Baltimore City Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office, prosecutors and police review cases of defendants arrested for firearms violations and evaluate whether the case should be considered for federal prosecution. Prosecutors evaluate each defendant’s criminal record, the circumstances of the arrest and other relevant information.
“If you have a criminal record and possess a gun, be prepared to spend many years in a federal prison far from home," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Police and prosecutors are working to identify armed criminals who deserve to be prosecuted in federal court."
Any previously convicted criminal who possesses a gun faces a sentence of up to ten years in federal prison, even if the criminal did not use the gun. There is no probation or parole in the federal criminal justice system.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
