Vincent Ford, a 22-year-old resident of Baltimore, Maryland, has pled guilty in federal court to multiple charges including possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and wire fraud related to fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment insurance benefits. The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer from the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and Chief Malik Aziz from the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
The guilty plea details an incident on February 17, 2023, when PGPD officers stopped a vehicle with heavily tinted windows. Officers detected marijuana odor during the stop; Ford was a passenger in this vehicle. A search revealed a loaded Taurus G3C semi-automatic firearm under his seat and drugs on his person.
Ford admitted to intending to distribute the fentanyl and oxycodone pills found during the search and acknowledged possessing the firearm for drug trafficking purposes. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Further investigation uncovered Ford's involvement in COVID-19 unemployment insurance fraud between June 13 and November 19, 2020. He defrauded at least $17,000 using stolen identities to file false claims.
Ford faces significant sentencing: up to 15 years for firearm possession as a felon; up to 20 years for drug distribution intent; and up to 20 years for wire fraud linked to unemployment insurance fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for November 3 before Judge Deborah L. Boardman.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime through community collaboration. It also aligns with efforts by the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force established on May 17, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised ATF, DOL-OIG, and PGPD's investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick D. Kibbe and Nicholas F. Potter for prosecuting.
For more information about reporting pandemic-related fraud or resources available through the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office visit their official websites.
