Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Jovar Demetrius Jefferson, age 30, of Lanham, Maryland to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. 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 plea agreement, on January 24, 2020, Prince George’s County Police (PGPD) Officers observed a black vehicle parked in front of a Riverdale, Maryland residence.  As officers approached the vehicle, one officer detected the odor of marijuana and saw Jefferson sitting in a reclined position with a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette in the center console.  After Jefferson was asked to exit the vehicle, a PGPD officer searched the vehicle and located a .40 caliber semi-automatic privately made firearms, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun,” loaded with ten rounds of ammunition.

Once the officer located the firearm, Jefferson attempted to flee on foot and was later apprehended by other officers in the surrounding area.  Upon further inspection, officers located additional items in Jefferson’s vehicle including approximately 169 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and several small clear plastic bags.

As stated in his plea agreement, on January 31, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Jefferson’s apartment.  As a result of the executed search warrant, officers located an empty large plastic bag that contained marijuana residue and a firearm magazine containing three .40 caliber rounds of ammunition.

Jefferson admits that he possessed the marijuana seized from his vehicle with the intent to distribute a portion of it and use the remaining portion for personal use.  

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 (PSN) 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 praised the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who prosecuted the case.

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