On March 7, 2025, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jesus Manuel, a 44-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 58 months in federal prison. This sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives- Baltimore Field Division (ATF).
According to the plea agreement details, on October 28, 2023, at approximately 10:30 p.m., a Riverdale Park Police officer arrived at his secondary employment position as a security guard at a restaurant in Riverdale Park, Maryland. Upon arrival, an employee informed the officer that Manuel had attempted to enter earlier wearing a fanny pack suspected to contain a firearm.
Later that night around 2:30 a.m., an altercation occurred in the restaurant parking lot. A male patron approached the officer claiming Manuel had threatened him with a firearm. Another patron confirmed this claim against Manuel. Both men identified Manuel as the suspect.
At approximately 3:10 a.m., officers observed Manuel near the restaurant’s kitchen door wearing the same fanny pack described earlier. As officers approached him, he fled across several parking lots before discarding the fanny pack. Officers apprehended him shortly after and retrieved the discarded fanny pack containing a Glock model 21 .45 caliber pistol loaded with eight rounds of ammunition.
Manuel was prohibited from possessing both due to prior felony convictions.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. The program focuses on fostering trust within communities and supporting organizations that prevent violence.
United States Attorney Hayes commended both ATF and Riverdale Park Police for their efforts in this case and thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Brooke Oki and Dawn Williams for prosecuting it.
For further information about initiatives by Maryland's U.S. Attorney’s Office or available community resources visit www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
