Wilmington Man Sentenced to 99 Months for Gun Offense

NEW BERN, N.C. – Antonio Blake Spencer, 32, of Wilmington, North Carolina was sentenced today to 99 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Spencer was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm on April 30, 2019 and pled guilty on October 17, 2020. 

According to court documents and other information, on April 21, 2019, while on probation for multiple prior state offenses, including a felony drug conviction, Spencer was involved in an altercation with a pregnant female in the Houston Moore housing complex in Wilmington.  During the altercation – which was captured on Wilmington Housing Authority surveillance video – Spencer brutally assaulted the female.  The female ultimately was able to flee the scene.  Moments later, Spencer was approached by a male subject and the two fought for several minutes.  During the struggle, a gun Spencer had in his waistband, dropped to the ground and was ultimately used to shoot Spencer multiple times.  Spencer was treated and released from the hospital two days later.  Just nine days after the shooting incident, on April 30, 2019, law enforcement located Spencer in an effort to serve him with arrest warrants for assault on a female and assault on an unborn child arising from the April 21, 2019 incident.  At the time of arrest, Spencer again had a firearm on his person, along with a quantity of PCP in his vehicle.  During a post-arrest interview, Spencer admitted to possessing the firearms from both the April 21 and April 30 incidents. 

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The North Carolina 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

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. 7:19-CR-00092-FL.