Baltimore Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake today sentenced Devan Mack, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to get guns out of the hands of criminals, like Devan Mack, and off of our streets, in order to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.  Mack now faces 15 years of federal time, where there is no parole—ever.  Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”

“Criminals like Devan Mack are contributing to the violent crime on the streets of Baltimore by selling illegal guns,” said Jennifer C. Boone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “We are determined to work with our law enforcement partners to target repeat offenders and those illegally in possession of firearms in order to better protect our communities.”

According to his guilty plea, on November 29, 2018, a Baltimore Police Department undercover officer conducted a controlled purchase of two firearms from Mack in the 2900 block of Gwynns Falls Avenue.  The controlled purchase was audio and video recorded.  The first firearm was a 9mm-caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition.  The second firearm was also a 9mm-caliber semi-automatic pistol, which had been reported stolen.  The undercover officer paid Mack $700 for each firearm.  As the transaction was being completed, Mack advised that he had other firearms as well as an additional magazine for sale.

Mack was aware that he had a prior felony conviction and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.  Mack had three previous convictions for serious drug offenses and was therefore an Armed Career Criminal subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years in prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.        

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina A. Hoffman, who is prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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