Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Greenbelt, Maryland – Larry Francis Newman, Jr., age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

The guilty plea 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 Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on September 5, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Newman’s Capitol Heights, Maryland residence. As a result of the search warrant, officers recovered a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 28.22 grams of crack cocaine divided into 547 individual baggies, 40.19 grams of cocaine, 106 vials of PCP, a bottle containing 21.71 grams of PCP, several empty vials containing PCP residue, and a digital scale from Newman’s bedroom.

Newman knowingly possessed the crack cocaine, cocaine, and PCP with the intent to distribute them. Newman possessed the loaded firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

Newman and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Newman will be sentenced to between 61 months and 96 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for March 16, 2022 at 10 a.m.

This case is 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. Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Michael Morgan, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.