Jeremy Carr, 34, of Marietta, Ga., and D.C. cousins Stephon Jeter, 27, and Quran Jeter, 19, are behind bars, charged in a sprawling firearms trafficking ring that funneled at least 55 guns from Atlanta gun stores into the violent streets of Washington, D.C. The indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, lays bare a calculated operation where guns bought legally in Georgia were illegally resold in the nation’s capital for triple the price.
Carr, accused of acting as the ring’s straw purchaser, allegedly lied to licensed firearms dealers in Georgia between August 2016 and February 2017 to acquire weapons on behalf of the Jeters. He faces charges of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license and 12 counts of interstate travel to acquire firearms for illegal resale. Prosecutors say Carr purchased models including the Taurus PT 111, Smith and Wesson SD9VE, and Zastava PAP M85—guns later recovered in D.C. and Prince George’s County, Md.
Stephon Jeter allegedly made 12 round-trip journeys from D.C. to Atlanta to collect the weapons, which were then funneled into underground markets in neighborhoods like Columbia Heights. He is charged alongside Carr with conspiracy and illegal firearms dealing across state lines. Quran Jeter, the youngest defendant, is also charged with carrying a pistol without a license and possession of an unregistered firearm in D.C., stemming from a November 21, 2016 arrest where he was found with a Smith and Wesson SD9VE—traceable to a purchase Carr made in Smyrna, Ga.
Federal investigators say the scheme was both lucrative and brazen. Guns bought for hundreds of dollars in Georgia were flipped for up to three times their value in D.C., feeding a black market tied to ongoing gun violence. The indictment includes a forfeiture allegation demanding all proceeds from the illegal sales be seized by the government.
The arrests are the latest in a long-term ATF and Metropolitan Police Department probe targeting illegal gun trafficking routes into the District. Two other suspects have already been charged: David Stewart, 32, of D.C., arrested October 31, 2016, with a Taurus PT111 G2 9mm, faces separate charges of felon in possession of a firearm for two weapons allegedly tied to the same pipeline.
Carr was arrested March 6, 2018, in Marietta and appeared in Georgia federal court the following day. He awaits extradition to D.C. The Jeters were taken into custody in the District this morning and made their first appearances in D.C. federal court. All three remain detained as the case proceeds. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, ATF Special Agent in Charge Thomas L. Chittum III, and MPD Chief Peter Newsham jointly announced the charges.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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