Eric Lamont Burch, a 45-year-old man from Wilmington, North Carolina, was sentenced to 67 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon—a charge stemming from a traffic stop that exposed a loaded .38 caliber revolver hidden in the backseat of a vehicle.
The incident occurred on July 31, 2019, when a Wilmington Police Department officer pulled over a vehicle for a routine traffic violation. Burch, seated alone in the back, was seen by the officer concealing an object beneath a backpack. A search of the vehicle turned up not only drug paraphernalia but also the loaded firearm within arm’s reach of Burch, who had no legal right to possess a weapon due to prior felony convictions.
Burch pleaded guilty on May 5, 2020, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. confirmed the sentencing, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II in New Bern, North Carolina. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wilmington Police Department. It was part of OCDETF Operation Round Tree Hill—an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force initiative targeting an armed drug trafficking ring responsible for flooding Eastern North Carolina with heroin and crack cocaine.
This prosecution also falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through coordinated law enforcement action and community engagement. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, the program operates under the banner of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, which assigns federal prosecutors to work locally to dismantle criminal networks and stem gun violence.
Court documents and related information for Case No. 7:20-cr-00027-M are available through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or via PACER. The sentencing marks another enforcement action in a region under sustained pressure from federal and local authorities targeting gun crimes and drug-related violence.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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