Emmanuel Ndjongo, Gun Trafficking Conspiracy, Virginia 2024

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced to over one year in prison for his role in a conspiracy to straw purchase 31 firearms in Virginia.

Emmanuel Ndjongo, 22, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy, according to U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger.

“Emmanuel Ndjongo illegally straw-purchased 31 firearms,” said Terwilliger. “Only two of those firearms have been recovered, and the whereabouts of the remaining 29 firearms are unknown. Ndjongo’s conduct is the quintessential definition of firearms trafficking, and is precisely the type of criminal conduct we are pursuing with Project Guardian-DMV.”

Ndjongo and his then-girlfriend, Alexus Jordon, 23, of Alexandria, conspired to straw purchase 31 firearms from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) in Virginia. Jordon purchased six of the firearms at FFLs in Virginia. Ndjongo used Jordon’s name to order the remaining firearms online from an FFL located in North Carolina, and had these firearms shipped to various FFLs in Virginia.

“Straw purchasing is a favored practice among criminals to illegally move firearms from a seemingly legitimate purchaser to individuals who use these weapons in the commission of violent crimes,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division. “ATF and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue those who engage in criminal straw purchasing and we applaud U.S. Attorney Terwilliger for his continued efforts to curb firearm violence in the Eastern District of Virginia.”

Once the firearms arrived in Virginia, Jordon picked up the firearms and gave them to Ndjongo, who sought to sell the firearms to other individuals. Local law enforcement in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County, Maryland have recovered two of the firearms unlawfully purchased during this conspiracy, both of which had altered or destroyed serial numbers.

Jordon was previously sentenced for her role in this straw purchasing conspiracy. The case is part of Project Guardian, the Attorney General’s initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas U. Murphy II and Philip Alito, and announced by U.S. Attorney Terwilliger and Special Agent in Charge Benedict.

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