District Man Found Guilty of Gun and Drug Paraphernalia-Related Charges

WASHINGTON - Demann Shelton, 31, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury of charges related to a December 2019 incident in which he possessed an illegal firearm in NW Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for July 12, 2024.

Shelton was found guilty following a jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to evidence presented during the trial, on December 18, 2019, Shelton and two other men were inside an illegally parked car, near 90 L Street NW, when Metropolitan Police Department ("MPD") officers drove into the parking lot. Officers ordered Shelton, the sole backseat passenger, to get out of the car. During the ensuing search of the car, officers located a large black jacket on the backseat near where Shelton had been sitting moments earlier. Inside the jacket, officers found a loaded .40 caliber Glock 23 handgun, with an affixed laser light and an inserted extended magazine containing 15 rounds of ammunition, along with a digital scale with white powder residue, Shelton's photo ID, a credit card with a picture of Shelton on it, and mail with Shelton's name on it. Officers also located $2,443 in cash in Shelton's pants pocket.

Judge Leibovitz ordered that the defendant remain held pending sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke Albi and Leah Paisner of the General Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.