Four-time Felon Exiled to 15 Years in Federal Prison
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Maurice Gordon-Bey, age 37, of Baltimore today to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Bennett enhanced Gordon-Bey’s sentence upon finding that he was an armed career criminal based on four previous state narcotics and violent crime convictions.
According to his guilty plea, on November 28, 2007, agents of the Baltimore City Police Department were working in the 2800 block of Liberty Heights Avenue in Baltimore, an area known to have a high incidence of drug sales. Late that evening agents observed a silver Toyota Tundra pull into the parking lot of a gas station and make two laps around the parking lot before finally parking on the edge of the lot. The driver of the Tundra, later identified as Maurice Gordon-Bey, got out of the car, opened the back door and reached inside the passenger compartment. After about 30-45 seconds, Gordon-Bey closed the rear door and got back into the driver’s seat.
A few minutes later, a Cadillac sedan entered the same parking lot and the driver got out of his car to meet with Gordon-Bey, who exited his vehicle, re-opened the rear door, and the two men peered into the rear passenger compartment of the Toyota. At that point, the investigating agents suspected that they were observing a narcotics transaction and approached the Toyota, identifying themselves as police officers.
Gordon-Bey told them that he was in the parking lot to use a pay phone. However, the officers noted that he was wearing a cellphone on his belt. Gordon-Bey also began to back away from the car. When officers shined a flashlight into the Toyota’s rear passenger compartment they observed multiple plastic bags containing a tan powder, suspected to be heroin. Gordon-Bey was placed under arrest. The Toyota was searched and officers recovered three plastic bags containing a total of 100 capsules from the back seat. The capsules were later analyzed and found to contain roughly 25 grams of heroin. A loaded Taurus .357 caliber handgun was also found in the console of the Toyota. Gordon-Bey admitted that he had placed the handgun in the Toyota earlier that day, and had acquired the heroin from another individual.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Wilson, the Baltimore Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Philip S. Jackson, who prosecuted the case.
