Donte Timothy Bacon, Gun Trafficking, Michigan 2024

Donte Timothy Bacon, 31, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is headed to federal prison for five years after pleading guilty to trafficking firearms to prohibited individuals and possessing a gun with an obliterated serial number. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell, marks the culmination of a years-long investigation into a local black-market gun operation that fed weapons into criminal circles.

Between August and September 2014, Bacon sold firearms on five separate occasions to a man legally barred from owning a weapon. One of those sales included a high-capacity magazine, boosting the lethality of the weapon. Two of the guns had their serial numbers removed—once by Bacon after purchase, and during the final sale, in a brazen act where Bacon and accomplice Charles Lee Samuels, 28, used a hand-grinder on the spot to erase traceable identification.

Samuels, who played a lesser role, was earlier sentenced to 18 months in prison. The coordinated effort to strip and sell illegal firearms highlights a dangerous underground pipeline that law enforcement has worked aggressively to dismantle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) led the investigation, with critical support from the Grand Rapids Police Department.

Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge made it clear: the trafficking of firearms to those prohibited by law is a direct threat to public safety. “The diversion of firearms for unlawful purposes or to those who cannot legally possess them endangers each and every member of our society,” Birge said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute those who willfully circumvent federal firearms laws designed to protect the public.”

Special Agent in Charge Robin Shoemaker of the ATF emphasized the broader impact of such crimes. “Selling firearms to prohibited individuals contributes to the cycle of gun violence plaguing our neighborhoods,” Shoemaker stated. “ATF will continue to use all available resources to put a stop to illegal gun sales. Let this conviction stand as a warning to others willing to put profit before public safety.”

Judge Bell, delivering his final sentencing before retirement, imposed 60 months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release. He urged Bacon to use his time to reflect and return to society as a productive member. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin M. Presant and Alexis M. Sanford prosecuted the case, closing a chapter on a crime that struck at the heart of community safety.

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