John Maurice West, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Washington DC, 2022

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DC Man Faces 15 Years for Gun Charge

Washington D.C. – In a shocking turn of events, 29-year-old John Maurice West has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on June 27, 2022, aboard a Metrorail train and in the 1700 block of 8th Street NW.

According to the government’s evidence, West threatened another man with a gun while aboard a Metrorail train at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro Station. The victim disembarked at the next station and reported the offense. Surveillance footage revealed that West exited the Metro at the Shaw-Howard University station and ran into the 1700 block of 8th Street NW, in the District’s Shaw neighborhood.

Surveillance footage also depicted West in and around the entryway of an apartment building in that block moments before his arrest. Police canvassed the area and found a loaded, semi-automatic handgun concealed in a drainage pipe. Subsequent DNA testing and analysis linked both the handgun and its magazine to West.

West was arrested on June 27, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since. Federal law prohibits West from possessing a firearm because, in 2014, he was convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of possession with intent to distribute cocaine while armed with a firearm.

West faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case, including Chief Michael Anzallo of the Metro Transit Police Department and Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department. West’s sentencing is scheduled for September 8, 2023.