Indianapolis man sentenced for selling firearms on Facebook
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Deshawn Washington, 22, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal possession of firearms by a felon.
According to court documents, on June 6, 2023, detectives with the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force conducted a search of Deshawn Washington’s residence on the far East side of Indianapolis on a report of illegal sale of firearms. At the time, Washington was on Marion County Community Corrections and GPS monitoring for a 2022 conviction for carrying a handgun without a license. Washington had been released from the Indiana Department of Correction custody on May 12, 2023, following felony convictions for possession of a machine gun and dealing in marijuana.
Detectives previously found Facebook messages in which Washington, under the alias “Dondre Willis,” arranged to sell an AR-style pistol and provided a photograph of the firearm. Washington was selling the firearms out of his registered community corrections address.
Officers arrested Washington at his home 25 days after his release from jail and located a Glock 43, 9mm semiautomatic handgun in his front right pocket. The firearm had a live 9mm cartridge in the chamber and 6 additional live 9mm cartridges in the magazine. In the living room, officers located a 5.56 AR-variant pistol with a high-capacity magazine and a live .223 round in the chamber, as well as 24 additional rounds in the magazine. This firearm appeared identical to the firearm Washington was offering to sell on Facebook.
At the time of his arrest, Washington had been previously convicted of multiple felonies, including possession of a machinegun and two counts of carrying a handgun without a license. These felony convictions prohibit Washington from ever again legally possessing a firearm.
“Again and again, this felon has been convicted for crimes involving illegal firearms possession. Nevertheless, he continued to illegally possess and even traffic in guns,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Armed felons and illegal gun trafficking fuel the gun violence that kills and injures far too many in our communities. Our partnership with the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force and ATF is designed to identify and track the most dangerous repeat offenders and get them off the street before they can put more deadly weapons in the hands of individuals banned from having them.”
“The continued illegal possession of firearms clearly shows the defendant’s disregard for the law and public safety,” stated Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “Even after being convicted of firearms crimes and serving prison time, he is back out in the community possessing and attempting to sell firearms. This is exactly the kind of case that ATF and the ICGTF investigate, and we will continue to work to remove the trigger pullers and those supplying them from the street.”
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney II. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Washington be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
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