Bakari Maurice Teachey Convicted of Felon Firearm Possession

Bakari Maurice Teachey, aka “Double R,” is headed for federal prison after a Raleigh jury convicted him Friday evening on three felony counts of possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The three-day trial, held before Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt, laid bare a violent pattern of behavior that began with a brutal assault and ended with a trunk full of illegal weapons.

The trial revealed that on May 9, 2017, Teachey pistol-whipped a man at the home of his estranged wife in Rocky Mount, leaving the victim injured and in need of medical care. That unprovoked attack set off a chain of events that led law enforcement straight to Teachey’s door. Two days later, during a routine traffic stop, Rocky Mount Police discovered a stolen Ruger 9 mm pistol in Teachey’s possession — a clear violation of federal law given his criminal history.

But that was just the beginning. On August 4, 2017, police executed a search warrant at the home Teachey shared with his fiancée. Inside, they uncovered a virtual arsenal: a Smith and Wesson M&P 15 rifle, a Century Arms 7.62×39 rifle, a Glock 9mm pistol with an extended magazine, a .357 Taurus revolver, and multiple rounds of assorted ammunition. All were illegally held by a man already barred from owning any weapon.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Katherine Burnette, argued that Teachey’s actions posed a clear and present danger to the community. The jury agreed, returning guilty verdicts on all counts after deliberating the evidence, including forensic reports and witness testimony from officers involved in both the traffic stop and the search.

This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative revived by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to combat rising violent crime. PSN brings together local, state, and federal agencies to target repeat offenders and illegal gun possession. In Teachey’s case, collaboration between the Rocky Mount Police Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives proved decisive.

Bakari Maurice Teachey now faces a mandatory minimum sentence under federal law. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4, 2018. Given his status as a convicted felon and the sheer volume of weapons recovered, prosecutors are expected to seek a significant prison term. The message from federal authorities is clear: illegal guns will be met with maximum consequences.