Baltimore Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

Expected to be Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland – William Garland, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on January 4, 2019, Baltimore County’s Criminal Apprehension Support Team (CAST) executed an arrest warrant for Garland in connection with a theft that occurred on December 21, 2018.  At the time of his arrest, officers recovered a loaded 9mm handgun from Garland’s right front jacket pocket.  Garland had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.  The gun was determined to have been stolen from a Virginia federal firearms licensee in February 2015.

Garland and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Garland will be sentenced to six years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for July 30, 2020. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey N. McCulley, who is prosecuting the case.