Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Memphis, TN – Marcus Danner a/k/a "Poncho", 39, was sentenced to 352 months imprisonment for his role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, the possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and aiding and abetting an attempted robbery. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Danner was the leader of an armed robbery crew located in Memphis. On January 9, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an 11-count third superseding indictment against Danner and four others. This indictment followed a four-month investigation involving agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as well as other federal and local agencies, in which Danner and his co-defendants were alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to rob drug dealers in Memphis. During the investigation, agents seized multiple firearms; approximately $2,000 in U.S. currency; and approximately 28 grams of crack cocaine.

Following his guilty plea to the above charges, the proof presented at sentencing showed that Danner, organized three indicted co-defendants to participate in an attempted armed robbery of a drug trafficker in January, 2018, where the mother of the drug trafficker was beaten and shot in the chest for his role in the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute between 5 and 15 kilograms of cocaine. Danner has an extensive history of multiple prior violent and drug felony convictions, including Solicitation of Aggravated Robbery, Robbery, Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell, and Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

On March 1, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., sentenced Danner to 352 months imprisonment followed by five years supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Dunavant said, "Armed Robbery crews made up of violent felons will NOT continue to terrorize and endanger our communities in West Tennessee with impunity. We use all available law enforcement and prosecutorial resources to pursue, disrupt, and dismantle groups and conspiracies that are most responsible for violence and drug dealing, and to remove dangerous offenders with firearms from our streets. I commend the great investigative work of ATF and our local partners in neutralizing this violent recidivist and his crew of trigger-pullers and traffickers."

ATF Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson stated, "ATF is committed to working with our law enforcement and community partners every day in our ongoing priority to reduce violent crime. ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence leverages technology that ultimately disrupts the shooting cycle that negatively impacts our neighborhoods."

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Memphis Police Department, Multi Agency Gang Unit (MGU), and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen and Gregory Allen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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