Fayetteville Man Convicted Of Firearm And Drug Trafficking Charges By Federal Jury

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Fayetteville man yesterday on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Miguel Marquis Hutchinson 35, was encountered inside a car at McDonalds on Bragg Blvd. by Fayetteville police officers investigating a nearby armed robbery.  Hutchinson matched the description of the armed robbery suspect and provided a false name to the officers.  When asked to step out of the car, he made a suspicious movement that caused the officers to jump forward and pin him down.  Meanwhile, other officers had observed store security footage which confirmed Hutchinson was not the person being sought for the armed robbery. 

During the encounter at the car, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and conducted a search of the car which resulted in locating approximately 22 grams of marijuana inside the center console, baggies, and a digital scale.  A loaded 9mm Taurus pistol was also located positioned and ready for use between the driver’s seat on the right side pinned against the center console.   

Hutchinson was previously convicted of second-degree murder in North Carolina state court in 2006 in Cumberland County, North Carolina. 

Hutchinson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of Life in prison when sentenced on June 7, 2021. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. Homeland Security Investigations and the Fayetteville Police Department are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz is prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:19-cr-00523-BO-1.