Denver Felon Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Gun and Drug Distribution

DENVER – A Denver man was sentenced to serve 16 years in federal prison last Friday for gun and drug charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced.  Maurice Alyn Mickling, age 28, of Denver, was ordered to serve 192 months in prison, followed by 4 years on supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore.  Mickling appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, and was remanded at its conclusion.

Mickling was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on January 7, 2014.  He was found guilty of gun and drug distribution charges following a the three-day jury trial in front of Judge Moore on August 27, 2014.  The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before delivering their verdicts.  He was sentenced on Friday, March 3, 2015.

According to court documents as well as facts presented during the trial, in December of 2013 Mickling, who was wanted for parole violations, was located at the Ramada Inn on Colfax and Marion.  The Denver SWAT Team was called because of Mickling’s prior violent felony convictions and because he was believed to be armed.  As SWAT arrived, Mickling saw the team, and immediately fled on foot.  Mickling got to the corner of the parking lot, threw a loaded handgun high into the air over the fence, dropped a toiletry style bag, and then jumped the fence.  Mickling threw the firearm so far that it flew across the street and struck an innocent bystander in the leg.

Once Mickling was over the fence, he slipped on some ice, and was immediately apprehended by officers.  Inside the dropped bag was 3.6 grams of crack and a digital scale, which is traditionally indicative of drug distribution.  He also had $756 in cash on his person.

"Defendant Mickling, who had a long criminal history, including a conviction for a crime of violence, was armed with a firearm, posing a serious danger to the community,” U.S. Attorney John Walsh said.  “The 16 year prison sentence means this defendant will not endanger his community for a long time to come.”

“Mr. Mickling is an example of the worst of the worst kind of criminal and today’s sentencing reflects that,” said Luke Franey, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Denver Field Division.  “With multiple violent felonies on his record, he continued to possess firearms and endanger the public.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Denver Police Department, and the Colorado Department of Corrections, Division of Adult Parole.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Sibert and David Tonini.