Rarkease Charles Bishop, a 23-year-old resident of the District of Columbia and previously convicted felon, was sentenced on Apr. 2 to 28 months in prison for unlawful possession of a Glock pistol while on supervised release for another gun offense, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address repeat firearms violations and prioritize community safety. The case underscores the challenges authorities face when individuals with prior convictions continue to commit similar offenses.
Bishop pleaded guilty in December 2025 in U.S. District Court to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered three years of supervised release following his prison term. Prosecutors had sought a longer sentence of 37 months.
"Rarkease Bishop had multiple opportunities to turn his life around and instead chose, repeatedly and deliberately, to arm himself in defiance of the law and the courts," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "He fled from officers, fought his arrest, and tried to hide the loaded gun he was carrying even after he was in handcuffs. That is not the behavior of someone who poses a manageable risk. It is the behavior of someone the community needs to be protected from."
Court documents show that on July 16, 2025, Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to stop Bishop as he drove a stolen vehicle reported out of Laurel, Maryland. After fleeing at high speed and abandoning the car, Bishop ran from police before being apprehended near C Street SE while resisting arrest and attempting further concealment of his weapon—a loaded Glock Model 23 pistol found hidden in his pant leg.
This case was investigated by both local police and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter prosecuted it under the Make D.C. Safe Again initiative supporting President Trump's Executive Order targeting gun violence with tougher penalties for federal firearms violations.
