Ahkeem Donte Pratt, Gun Trafficking, North Carolina 2015

WILMINGTON, NC – AHKEEM DONTE PRATT, a 24-year-old man from North Carolina, has been sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for his role in a major gun trafficking operation.

AHKEEM DONTE PRATT and two co-defendants were named in a 17-count indictment filed in 2015, charging them with conspiracy, theft of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees, possession of stolen firearms, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, interstate transportation of stolen firearms, and dealing in firearms without a license.

PRATT pled guilty to conspiracy, theft of firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and interstate transportation of stolen firearms in November 2015.

According to the investigation, PRATT and his co-defendants broke into numerous Federal Firearm Licensees around Eastern and Central North Carolina between August 2014 and December 5, 2014, stealing almost 200 firearms. The thieves used various tools, including bolt cutters and hammers, to gain entry into the businesses.

Agents were able to obtain DNA from one of the tools left behind at the scene of a robbery and match it to a co-defendant. On two occasions, PRATT and others drove to New Jersey and sold the stolen firearms to a third party. The stolen firearms were ultimately recovered from crime scenes in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, among other places.

The crimes to which the recovered firearms were linked included various violent crimes, including rape, a robbery, and a murder. Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie Randa represented the government.

PRATT’s sentence marks the first of three co-defendants to be sentenced in the case. The two remaining co-defendants will be sentenced at later dates. The case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of gun trafficking on communities across the country.

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