Baltimore Man Sentenced 9 Years For Illegally Possessing Stolen Handgun
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A 35-year-old Baltimore man is sentenced to nine years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegal gun possession of a stolen firearm.
Yusef Payne admitted that he had at least two previous felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
According to his guilty plea on October 30, 2017, Baltimore police officers were patrolling and saw Payne who had an open warrant from an October 15, 2017 handgun charge involving a 9mm handgun with a magazine containing 10 9mm cartridges.
When officers pulled over to arrest Payne, he ran, discarding a handgun. One of the officers chasing Payne retrieved the weapon, which was a different 9mm handgun with a magazine containing seven cartridges.
Payne then admitted that he knew, or had cause to believe that the gun was stolen.
"Yusef Payne knew that as a result of his previous convictions he was prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition. Now he faces nine years in federal prison," said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur. "Armed criminals must know that gun crime will lead to federal time, which has no parole—ever. Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own."