Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Avon Allen, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a stolen firearm.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on January 20, 2020, Allen had an argument with a store owner in Baltimore, Maryland and threw a beverage at the store owner in the process. Soon after, Baltimore City Police Department officers responded to the reported assault. Officers reviewed the store’s surveillance footage, which showed that the individual involved in the altercation was wearing a black skull cap, a blue, black, and gray puffy jacket, a gray hoodie, blue jeans, and blue sneakers.

Later that day, an officer found Allen wearing the same clothes as the individual in the video surveillance footage on the corner of W. Saratoga Street and N. Paca Street. Allen briefly got into a vehicle before seeing an officer and fleeing on foot. During his apprehension, Allen resisted arrest and threw a stolen 9 mm pistol loaded with six rounds of ammunition. On his person, Allen also possessed a pocket-knife, oxycodone, and small amounts of eutylone or “MDMA”. Allen agrees that he knowingly possessed a stolen firearm.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Moore and Special Assistant United States Attorney Annie McGuire, who prosecuted the case.