U.S. Attorneys in eastern Va. prosecuted 250 people for gun crimes this year
Richmond VA December 20 2022 The 250 people prosecuted this year were charged with federal firearm offenses that included possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and straw purchasing a firearm. The latter is a criminal act in which a firearm is bought by one person on behalf of another who is legally unable to make the purchase themselves.
Firearms that are criminally forfeited are removed from the possession of a convicted criminal defendant and relinquished to the government for disposal, including potentially the return of the firearm to a rightful owner.
Some of the notable cases this year from the Richmond region include:
Jeffrey Kite and the 9mm pistol that he received through straw purchase
Angela House, 43, was charged with the straw purchase of a 9mm gun for convicted felon Jeffrey Kite , who used the weapon to shoot at officers during a Jan. 14, 2021, standoff with police. Kite was killed after he fired the gun at officers as they tried to arrest him.
Vernon Browder, 29, of Petersburg, who was sentenced in February to 20 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His crime arose after authorities discovered a personal video on his Facebook page that showed him brandishing a high-powered weapon for five seconds. As a previously convicted felon, Browder is barred from possessing a firearm. He later admitted to possessing the gun, identified as an American Tactical Imports Omni Hybrid multi-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Tre-Shawn Brooks, 23, of Chesterfield County, who was sentenced Friday to a one-year prison term for making deals with at least four co-conspirators to straw purchase semiautomatic pistols on their behalf in exchange for money.
At least two of the guns went to people who were not of legal age to buy a handgun, and Richmond police later recovered one of the weapons during a homicide investigation. Brooks falsified federal firearms transaction records to reflect that he was the true purchaser of the guns.
Dequane A. McCullers, 23, of Henrico County and Anthony C. Brown Jr., 23, of Richmond — both felons — were sentenced in September to prison terms of 42 months and 21 months, respectively, for illegally possessing semiautomatic pistols in the Belt Atlantic apartments — one of Richmond’s most vulnerable neighborhoods for crime and gun violence.
Just three months before the men were caught with guns inside the complex in July 2021, five people were shot there, including a mother and her infant who were slain in the courtyard.
Angela House, 43, of Chesterfield was sentenced in October to 21 months in prison for making a straw purchase of a semiautomatic pistol for Jeffrey Kite, a violent felon who later used the weapon to ambush two Chesterfield police officers. Kite was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police during a standoff at his home in January 2021.
Ru’Quan V. Doctor, 25, of Richmond was sentenced in May to 57 months in prison for being caught with a stolen gun in his pocket less than six months after being released from federal prison for a nearly identical offense. The .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol that Richmond police found in Doctor’s possession was loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition and, when officers attempted to retrieve the gun, Doctor reached for the weapon and fought with them.
Aber said her office’s effort to seize and have criminal defendants forfeit illegal firearms found in their possession was the result of multiple investigative and prosecutorial efforts, including through a program known as Project Safe Neighborhoods. The initiative seeks to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
* Angela House, 43, of Chesterfield was sentenced in October to 21 months in prison for making a straw purchase of a semiautomatic pistol for Jeffrey Kite, a violent felon who later used the weapon to ambush two Chesterfield police officers. Kite was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police during a standoff at his home.
The office also used the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, whose purpose is to identify, disrupt and dismantle serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations.
U.S. attorneys in the Eastern District serve the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Richmond metro areas and surrounding locations and work in courthouses in Alexandria, Norfolk, Richmond and Newport News.
