ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Two Washington, D.C. area men pleaded guilty this week to their roles in a conspiracy to transport with the intent to engage in unlawful interstate dealing in firearms.
“The illegal purchase, transportation and resale of firearms presents risks of violence and a serious danger to our communities and the law enforcement officers who keep us safe," said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I would like to thank our local and federal law enforcement partners for their work in keeping illegal firearms off the streets and out of our communities."
According to court documents, Daryl Antonio Pearce, 21, and his half-brother, Darius Antonio Giles, 22, conspired together to travel from Maryland and Washington, D.C.-where they resided-to Virginia to acquire firearms with the intent to engage in the business of dealing firearms. During the course of this conspiracy, Pearce and Giles purchased well over 33 firearms within the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere. After they purchased these firearms, they transported them from Virginia to Maryland and Washington, D.C., where Pearce and Giles resold the firearms to various individuals for profit. Several of the firearms have been recovered by law enforcement in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, including from a convicted felon. Giles was arrested in February following a controlled firearm buy with undercover ATF agents.
Pearce and Giles pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport firearms interstate and to act with the intent to engage in interstate dealing in firearms. They both face a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on September 20. In addition, Giles pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, and faces an additional maximum penalty of 10 years in prison at sentencing. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel H. Feil and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy II 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. 1:19-cr-139.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
