Baltimore Man Exiled To 15 Years In Prison On Gun And Drug Charges

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Joseph McKinsey Brown, age 29, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in connection with the planned robbery of a drug dealer.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; and Commissioner Anthony W. Batts of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to Brown’s guilty plea, Brown, Donte Wise, and another co-conspirator, met with a confidential source of information (CS) and with an ATF undercover officer posing as a drug courier to plan the robbery of a drug dealer.  Wise and his co-conspirators agreed to commit the armed robbery in exchange for half of the stolen cocaine, expected to be as much as seven kilograms, which they would then distribute.  On August 15, 2012, the CS picked up Brown and his co-conspirators and drove to a location in Baltimore to meet the undercover officer, who was to provide a minivan for the conspirators to use to commit the robbery.  After arriving at the meet location, ATF agents approached to arrest the conspirators.  All three fled, discarding their weapons as they ran, but were caught and arrested.  Brown and Wise each threw away a loaded 9mm handgun, which were recovered, along with the .45 caliber handgun thrown on a roof by the third conspirator.  A search also recovered black rubber gloves and a black balaclava from Wise and black rubber gloves and a black ski mask from Brown.

Donte Wise, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison on the same charges.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney James T. Wallner, who prosecuted the case.