Phillip Leon Leggett, a 30-year-old resident of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 102 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence comes after his conviction for illegal possession of firearms, including an unregistered "ghost gun." This was announced by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The announcement was supported by Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
Court records reveal that in the fall of 2023, CMPD officers were monitoring an area in Charlotte known for criminal activity when they observed Leggett appearing to conceal a firearm in his sweatshirt pocket. Upon being approached by officers, Leggett fled on foot. During the ensuing chase, two firearms fell from his person along his flight path. Officers recovered a black Taurus PT111 G2 9mm loaded with a magazine and an unregistered privately made firearm fitted with a 17-round magazine and a round in the chamber.
Further investigation revealed Leggett's criminal history includes multiple felony common law robbery convictions, which prohibit him from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Leggett will be transferred to federal custody upon designation to a federal facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude to both ATF and CMPD for their roles in investigating this case. The prosecution was managed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. It consolidates resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
