Emmanuel Ndjongo, Straw Purchase, Virginia 2020

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A recent update on Project Guardian-DMV, a strategic effort to reduce violent crime and enforce federal firearms laws across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, reveals a disturbing trend in straw purchasing and firearms trafficking in the region.

At the center of the investigation is Emmanuel Ndjongo, of Bowie, Maryland, who conspired to straw purchase 31 firearms from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) in Virginia. Ndjongo used his then-girlfriend, Alexus Jordan, of Alexandria, to purchase six firearms at FFLs in Virginia, while he ordered the remaining firearms online from an FFL located in North Carolina and had them shipped to various FFLs in Virginia.

Once the firearms arrived in Virginia, Jordan 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.

The whereabouts of the remaining 29 firearms are unknown, and Ndjongo, along with his co-conspirator Jordan, have been charged with firearms-related offenses. The Alexandria Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged over 60 defendants with firearms-related offenses during Fiscal Year 2020, including straw purchases, illegal possession of firearms by previously convicted felons and other prohibited persons, and carrying, brandishing, or discharging a firearm during a crime of violence or in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

These defendants were involved in the unlawful purchase and/or possession of over 200 firearms, of which more than 85 firearms have been recovered and seized by law enforcement.

Project Guardian is the Justice Department’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.

Project Guardian-DMV localizes the Justice Department’s national effort, and expands upon the current partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, the ATF, and Metro Police Department, and now also includes the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Maryland and the Western District of Virginia, and the Virginia State Police.

No further information is available on the current status of Ndjongo and Jordan’s cases, as the Alexandria Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office has not released any updates on the charges filed against the two defendants.

Defendant Information:

Defendant: Emmanuel Ndjongo

City and State: Bowie, Maryland

Exact Date: 2020 (Fiscal Year)

Criminal Charges: Straw Purchase

Outcome: Charged with firearms-related offenses

Dollar Amounts: None

Legal Entity: None

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/us-attorney-announces-update-firearms-initiative-dmv