WASHINGTON D.C. – A Maryland man and a Washington D.C. resident have been indicted on federal charges for running a firearms trafficking operation that flooded the District with illegal weapons over the summer of 2021. The bust comes as gun violence continues to plague the nation’s capital.
Demetrius Minor, 31, of Maryland, and Donald Willis, 50, of Washington, D.C., were named in a grand jury indictment on charges relating to the illegal transfer of firearms. Minor faces the most serious accusations: engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; illegal interstate transfer of firearms; sale of a firearm to a convicted felon; and conspiracy to commit an offense or defraud the United States. Willis is charged with conspiracy.
According to the indictment, the pair conspired to move more than 30 firearms between April and October of 2021. Minor allegedly acted as a “straw purchaser,” legally buying the guns from licensed dealers (FFLs) in Maryland. He then transferred those firearms to Willis in D.C., accepting payment before Willis resold them on the streets. The scheme unraveled after two of the guns purchased by Minor surfaced in the District within a ten-day period.
The connection was made when Willis was arrested in November 2021 during an unrelated domestic violence incident. A handgun recovered from Willis had been reported stolen by Minor on the very same day – a clear red flag that triggered an ATF investigation. Investigators quickly discovered that Minor and Willis were related and that Minor was routinely purchasing firearms in bulk from multiple Maryland gun stores, knowing Willis was a prohibited person due to prior convictions.
“This indictment reflects our commitment to disrupting the illegal flow of firearms that contribute to violence in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves in a statement. The ATF’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department spearheaded the investigation. If convicted, the sale of a firearm to a convicted felon carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while the other charges each carry a maximum of five years.
An indictment is not a conviction. Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Frey and Paul V. Courtney are prosecuting the case. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of additional charges or arrests. The case highlights the persistent challenge of keeping illegal guns off the streets and the constant threat they pose to public safety.
Related Federal Cases
- YONG GUO, Firearms Smuggling, Washington 2015 · Alaska
- Chase O’Neil Pulliam, Firearms Trafficking, Virginia 2023 · Virginia
- John Doe, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Baltimore MD, 2024 · Delaware
- Charles General, Possession of Stolen Firearm, Washington DC, 2023 · West Virginia
- David Oday Smith, Dumps Loaded Firearm, Washington D.C., 2025 · Maryland
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