Convicted Felon Sentenced For Possessing a 9mm Pistol He Attempted to Hide From Police in a Liquor Store Refrigerator

Friday, May 17, 2024

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Hart, 25, a previously convicted felon from Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for possessing a loaded 9 mm Springfield Armory XDS-9 pistol that he tried to hide from police inside a liquor store refrigerator, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Hart pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon on January 30, 2024. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Hart to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court papers, on November 1, 2023, members of the MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division Robbery Suppression Unit were conducting firearm interdiction activities on the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Junior Ave., SE. About 5:30 p.m., officers observed Hart along with several other individuals leave a nearby restaurant. An investigator who wearing a tactical vest with clearly visible, “POLICE” insignia began to walk behind the Hart, who spotted the investigator, turned away, and started heading towards Malcolm X Avenue, SE. Hart entered a liquor store and stood beside a beverage refrigerator at the back. The investigator, now inside the store, noticed that both of Hart’s hands were inside the refrigerator.

            The investigator saw Hart place a black firearm inside the refrigerator. The investigator arrested Hart. Additional MPD investigators arrived and assisted in the arrest. In the refrigerator, police recovered a 9 mm Springfield Armory XDS-9, with one round in the chamber and six in the magazine. The pistol, which had been reported stolen out of Pittsylvania, Virginia, subsequently was swabbed and determined to have a DNA match with the defendant.

            Hart has a significant criminal history including two prior convictions that include attempted robbery with an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar.