Michael Pittman, 30, from Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for trafficking over 200 illegal firearms into the D.C. area from Georgia and North Carolina. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. In addition to his prison term, Pittman will serve three years of supervised release.
Pittman pleaded guilty in April 2025 to conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. According to court documents, between April 2023 and May 2024, he rented cars to travel south where he purchased guns from illegal suppliers and then sold them in the D.C. region, often advertising with photos showing firearms on his bed along with prices.
“It’s bad enough we have a gun problem in D.C. but even worse when you traffic them in from other states,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Firearms traffickers present an immediate danger to the community. My office will aggressively prosecute these criminals and take them off the street for a significant amount of time.”
The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division as well as assistance from Virginia State Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Pittman was arrested on May 30, 2024 by Virginia State Police after fleeing a traffic stop in Mecklenburg County while returning from a gun purchase trip. Officers recovered a backpack containing 16 firearms, another firearm dropped during his flight, and two more left in his vehicle.
A subsequent search of Pittman's home led law enforcement officers to seize hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tools for cleaning and repairing guns, magazines, three additional firearms, and evidence matching images found on Pittman’s phone.
Pittman had previously been convicted of second degree assault in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron A. Tepfer and Sarah Martin prosecuted the case.
