United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Khalif Ward, a 27-year-old resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky for firearms offenses. In addition to the prison term, Ward will face three years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine.
Ward was indicted in December 2023 on charges of possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded guilty to these charges in October.
Known as "Leaf Ward" in the rap community with a significant online following, Ward committed these offenses while on release for a state case involving illegal firearm transactions. This occurred after he was found with a firearm following an incident where he was shot in 2020.
Court documents reveal that on August 16, 2023, Ward drove a stolen vehicle to Bahama Breeze restaurant at King of Prussia Mall. Officers patrolling the parking lot identified the car as stolen from Philadelphia and initiated towing procedures. As this unfolded, Ward exited the restaurant with his girlfriend but ran back inside upon seeing police officers. Inside the restaurant, an employee witnessed him discard a loaded Glock firearm into a kitchen trash can.
Police pursued and apprehended Ward behind the restaurant and recovered the Glock .40 caliber pistol equipped with an illegal switch converting it to fully automatic fire.
“Despite two prior gun convictions, Ward continued to wield these weapons," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "Moreover, the pistol he tried to ditch when running from police was altered to enable automatic fire."
Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of ATF's Philadelphia Field Division stated: “Keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals is why the law prohibits felons from having firearms."
The investigation involved collaboration between ATF, United States Secret Service, and Upper Merion Township Police Department. The prosecution team included Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Lanni, Everett Witherell, and Shayna Gannone.
