District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Offense

            WASHINGTON – Julian Wesley Gentry, 33, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on May 1, 2022, in the 600 block of H Street Northwest, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Gentry pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Judge Timothy J. Kelly scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 12, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 1, 2022, shortly after 1:00 a.m., a security guard who was working at a bar in the 600 block of H Street Northwest, in the District’s Chinatown neighborhood, called 911 to report that a man wearing a white dress shirt—later identified as Gentry—had displayed a firearm that he was carrying in his underwear.  The 911 caller provided a detailed description of armed suspect and his two companions, and he stated that the suspect was sitting on the steps of a closed restaurant just across the street. Officers of the Metropolitan Police Department located and approached Gentry, who ran into the middle of the street, where he was stopped seconds later. During a protective pat down, officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic firearm from the Gentry’s waistband, consistent with the 911 caller’s report. During a search of Gentry’s person following his arrest, an additional, loose round of ammunition was found in his pants pocket.

            Gentry was arrested on May 1, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.

            Federal law prohibits Gentry from possessing a firearm because he has previously been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, including a 2019 conviction for reckless endangerment in Montgomery County, Maryland, for which he was on probation at the time of this offense.

            Gentry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is 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.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. 

            Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant United States Attorney Paul V. Courtney, who prosecuted the case.