Convicted Felon Indicted on Federal Firearms Charge

            WASHINGTON – Charles Wesley Monroe, 19, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today by a grand jury on a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm in April 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           The indictment, unsealed today, alleges that on April 29, 2024, Monroe unlawfully possessed a 9mm Smith & Wesson SD9 2.0 semiautomatic pistol and 9mm ammunition, knowing he previously had been convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of an offense punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

           According to the government’s evidence, on April 29, 2024, MPD officers approached a man in the 1400 block of Girard Street Northwest to investigate an unrelated offense. Monroe, who was standing nearby, broke into unprovoked flight and evaded police. Moments later, officers observed Monroe return to the scene and run under an apartment building stairwell while clutching his waist. Officers apprehended Monroe and located a firearm nearby. The firearm and its magazine were swabbed for DNA and submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for testing and analysis. The results linked both the firearm and magazine to Monroe.

            Monroe was arrested on April 29, 2024, and initially charged by criminal complaint in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He has remained held without bond since his arrest.

            Federal law prohibits Monroe from possessing a firearm and ammunition because, in September 2023, he was convicted in the D.C. Superior Court of robbery, an offense punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Monroe was on probation for that offense at the time of his arrest in this case.

            Monroe faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case was investigated by ATF and MPD as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.  Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle M. McWaters and Paul V. Courtney, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustin Horner.  

             An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.