Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Four Men Indicted on Federal Gun Charges
All Defendants Have Previous Convictions and Were Prohibited from Possessing Firearms
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four Charlotte men with previous criminal convictions have been indicted on federal gun charges, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A federal grand jury returned the criminal indictments on Tuesday, December 16, 2014, against Carlton Calvin Wilson, 28, Dominic Xavier McDonald, 28, Brendan Cornelius Penn, 25, and Tory Lorenzo Vaszquez, 25, all of Charlotte, charging them with multiple counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Wayne L. Dixie, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division and Chief Rodney D. Monroe of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department join U.S. Attorney Tompkins in making today’s announcement.
According to the four criminal indictments and other filed court documents, the defendants unlawfully possessed firearms despite having previous criminal convictions, which prohibit them from possessing weapons. Wilson’s six-count indictment alleges that, from September through November 2014, Wilson illegally possessed 11 firearms, including four pistols, five revolvers and two shotguns. Penn’s indictment alleges that in October 2014, Penn illegally possessed three firearms, and has been charged with three counts of possession of firearm by a convicted felon in connection with that conduct. A third indictment charges McDonald with four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to allegations contained in the indictment, in October 2014, McDonald possessed six firearms, including two pistols, one revolver and two rifles. A fourth indictment charges Vasquez with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for possessing two pistols in October 2014.
All four defendants are currently in federal custody. They face a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
The details contained in this indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The investigation was handled by ATF and CMPD Violent Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Dillon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
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US v. Wilson 3:14CR254 US v. McDonald 3:14CR255 US v. Penn 3:14CR256 US v. Vaszquez 3:14CR257