Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
East Bay Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possession of Firearms
Defendant arrested with drugs, a 9mm handgun, and an AR-15 assault rifle.
OAKLAND – Donta Lashaun Perry was sentenced today to 60 months and one day in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possessing firearms in connection with drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Rayfield Roundtree. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Judge.
Perry, 31, of San Leandro, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charges on October 1, 2019. According to his plea agreement, Perry admitted that he possessed a 9mm handgun and an AR 15 short barreled rifle when the California Highway Patrol arrested him on March 7, 2018. In the agreement, Perry also admitted that on that date he was a convicted felon who was not eligible to possess a firearm. Perry further admitted that he possessed marijuana, that he intended to distribute the drugs, and that he possessed his firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking, including to defend his drugs against potential theft.
Perry initially was charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, but absconded after posting bail. He remained a fugitive for approximately 10 months until his arrest in the Western District of Oklahoma in March 2019.
A superseding information was filed on September 30, 2019, charging Perry with one count of felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and one count of using, carrying, or possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). Perry pleaded guilty to both charges.
In addition to the prison term, Judge White ordered Perry to serve a three-year period of supervised release and to pay a $200 special assessment.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Vieira is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Lenora Hamilton. This case is the result of an investigation by the ATF and the California Highway Patrol.