A Richmond man, Desmond Mikal Hawkins, 31, has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentencing took place after an incident on August 10, 2024, when law enforcement officers observed Hawkins walking in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of Richmond and suspected he was carrying a concealed weapon.
Officers approached Hawkins and asked if he had a concealed carry permit. According to court documents, Hawkins falsely stated that he had a permit but did not have it with him. Officers then detained him and found a loaded handgun hidden under his shirt at his waistband.
Hawkins has prior felony convictions, including one in 2023 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He had been released from prison less than a month before this latest offense and was on federal supervised release at the time. Federal law prohibits individuals with felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition.
The announcement was made by Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, following sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen H. Theisen prosecuted the case.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime," according to officials involved in the prosecution. "Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
Information about this case can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia as well as through related court documents available via PACER by searching Case No. 3:25-cr-5.
