WASHINGTON D.C. – Clarence Faulkner, 43, of Washington, D.C., is headed to federal prison for nearly five years after a bust revealed a sickening stockpile of drugs, cash, and an illegally modified firearm. Faulkner was sentenced today to 57 months behind bars on federal firearms and drug trafficking charges, a penalty handed down by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.
Faulkner pleaded guilty on February 27, 2024, admitting to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and unlawful possession with intent to distribute the dangerous anesthetic PCP. The feds didn’t mess around – and neither did the MPD, who first flagged the operation.
The trouble started November 4, 2023, when Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted a gray Acura parked in the 300 block of 61st Street Northeast. A quick peek inside revealed a plastic baggie stuffed with what looked like marijuana. A full search turned up a veritable pharmacy of illegal substances: over two pounds of marijuana, 108 grams of crack cocaine, six fluid ounces of liquid PCP, two scales for weighing the poison, and a staggering $38,000 in cold, hard cash.
But the drugs weren’t the only problem. Cops also recovered a loaded Glock semi-automatic pistol that had been illegally converted into a short-barreled rifle – a serious upgrade in firepower. The weapon was packed with 28 rounds, and the magazine could hold 31. The Acura? Registered to Faulkner. Inside, police found his ID and mail, sealing his fate.
Faulkner, already a repeat offender, was arrested near the vehicle and has been cooling his heels in jail ever since. Federal law already barred him from owning a firearm due to multiple prior convictions, including three previous felony firearms convictions. This wasn’t his first rodeo, and Judge Chutkan made sure the sentence reflected that. After his prison term, Faulkner will be under supervised release for an additional three years.
The investigation was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)’s Washington Field Division and the Metropolitan Police Department, operating under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney, Cameron A. Tepfer, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine M. Toth prosecuted the case, bringing Faulkner’s criminal enterprise to a grinding halt. Case number: 23cr422.
RELATED: Faulkner Gets 57 Months for PCP, Gun Trafficking
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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