Wilmington Man Receives Lengthy Sentence for Illegal Gun Possession

Charles M. Oberly, III, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that Chief Judge Gregory M. Sleet sentenced Joevany T. Luna (a.k.a. "Moon"), age 36, of Wilmington, Delaware, to approximately eight years imprisomnent for illegally possessing a loaded firearm.

According to court documents and facts disclosed at the sentencing hearing, LUNA was arrested in Newark, Delaware, in October 2009 following his participation in a shooting in Maryland. Delawarebased authorities, including the Wilmington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted in the arrest. During the arrest, officers found within arms-reach of the defendant a loaded firearm. That firearm was of a different make and model than that used during the Maryland shooting.

LUNA eventually pleaded guilty in Cecil County, Maryland, to the Maryland shooting, and he was ultimately sentenced to 70 months' imprisomnent. He later pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in
Delaware to being a felon in possession of a firearm. This morning, the District Court imposed a sentence of 77 months' imprisomnent on the federal offense. Because LUNA will not receive credit for time already served in Maryland, however, the effective length of the federal sentence is approximately 97 months, or just over eight years' imprisomnent.

"Today's sentence sends a strong message that gun possession and gun violence will not be tolerated on the streets of Wilmington," said U.S. Attorney Oberly. "The lengthy sentence imposed by the Court reinforces the message that there are severe consequences for illegally possessing firearms with impunity in our city. The defendant, Joevany Luna, will now be incarcerated outside the State of Delaware, away from friends and associates for the next eight years. Those who insist on illegally carrying guns can expect to be prosecuted federally with the intent to seek lengthy sentences to be served out-of-state."