Michael Anthony Cornwell, 30, has been sentenced to 106 months in prison and two years of supervised release for firearms offenses. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, with Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) joining in.
According to court documents and proceedings, CMPD officers arrested Cornwell on September 13, 2022, on an outstanding warrant. During a search at his residence, law enforcement seized multiple rounds of ammunition, a .40 caliber drum magazine, several rifle magazines, a gun sight, digital scales, and distribution quantities of marijuana. Officers also found a loaded .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol in Cornwell’s vehicle. As a convicted felon with prior convictions, Cornwell is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Cornwell pleaded guilty on January 10, 2025 to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the Bureau of Prisons once designated to a facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation into the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative that uses resources from the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration issues and combat cartels as well as transnational criminal organizations. The operation coordinates efforts through programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
