Convicted Felon Hides Pistol in Liquor Store Fridge, Sentenced to 46 Months

WASHINGTON – In a brazen attempt to evade capture, 25-year-old convicted felon Kenneth Hart from Washington D.C. was sentenced to 46 months in prison for possessing a loaded 9 mm Springfield Armory XDS-9 pistol that he tried to hide from police inside a liquor store refrigerator.

Hart pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon on January 30, 2024, after being caught red-handed by members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Division Robbery Suppression Unit.

According to court papers, on November 1, 2023, at approximately 5:30 p.m., officers observed Hart and several other individuals leaving a nearby restaurant on the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Junior Ave., SE. One investigator, wearing a tactical vest with ‘POLICE’ insignia, began to walk behind Hart, who spotted the investigator and turned away, attempting to flee.

Hart entered a liquor store and stood beside a beverage refrigerator at the back, attempting to conceal his actions from the investigator. The investigator, now inside the store, noticed that both of Hart’s hands were inside the refrigerator and saw him place a black firearm inside.

The investigator arrested Hart, and additional MPD investigators arrived to assist in the arrest. In the refrigerator, police recovered a 9 mm Springfield Armory XDS-9 pistol, with one round in the chamber and six in the magazine. The pistol had been reported stolen out of Pittsylvania, Virginia, and was subsequently swabbed and matched with Hart’s DNA.

Hart has a significant criminal history, including two prior convictions for attempted robbery with an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Hart to serve three years of supervised release. The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Division and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar.