Ghost Gun Owner Sentenced to 65 Months for Felon in Possession of Firearms

WASHINGTON – Mark Harris, 27, a previously convicted felon from Washington D.C., was sentenced to 65 months in prison for possessing three different firearms, including an untraceable “ghost gun,” and more than 150 rounds of ammunition.

Harris pleaded guilty on February 29, 2024, to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Harris to serve three years of supervised release in addition to the prison term.

According to court documents, Harris posted an Instagram live stream in May 2023, producing a black handgun and stating “crack a (explicit) head with this joint.” Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his residence based on the post, and on June 1, 2023, they executed the warrant and seized a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol with no serial number, an extended magazine with 12 rounds of ammunition, and a Palmetto PA-15 multi-caliber semi-automatic rifle with a 42-round capacity magazine.

Despite the execution of the search warrant, Harris continued to post images of additional firearms on Instagram. On October 4, 2023, he posted a YouTube music video for his song “Add It Up,” in which he is depicted holding a firearm with an extended magazine and a “giggle switch” used to convert the weapon into a fully automatic machine gun. On November 2, 2023, law enforcement executed another search warrant at Harris’s residence and recovered a stolen black .40 caliber Glock 22 pistol, 10 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, and various prescription forms.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration- Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Washington D.C.

Harris has remained in custody since his arrest and will serve 65 months in prison for his crimes. The sentence sends a clear message that felons will be held accountable for their actions and that the possession of ghost guns and other illicit firearms will not be tolerated.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves praised the work of the investigators and prosecutors in this case, saying “We will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from the scourge of ghost guns and other illicit firearms.”

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