GREENBELT, Md. - After a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Antjoun Riddick, 45, of Accokeek, Maryland, on August 1 for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and U.S. Marshal Robert Anthony Dixon for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 21, 2022, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) deputies were conducting surveillance on Riddick’s residence in Accokeek, Maryland, to serve an outstanding arrest warrant for him issued by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. When they saw Riddick exit the residence and walk toward his vehicle, they activated the emergency equipment on their vehicles and approached Riddick, telling him to step away from the car and show his hands. As detailed in trial testimony, deputies saw Riddick quickly raise his left hand, but his right hand hesitated near his waist area before he was handcuffed. After his arrest, Riddick admitted that he had a gun in his waistband and deputies recovered a 9mm pistol loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber.
Riddick knew he had been previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. As detailed in court documents, at the time of his arrest Riddick was on supervised probation for a 2015 conviction in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court for second degree murder.
Riddick faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for November 3 at 2:30 p.m.
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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the USMS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Rosenthal, who are prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Barron also thanked paralegal specialists Andrew Branigan, Derek Harwerth and Mark Phares for their assistance.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities and resources available to help the community, visit Project Safe Neighborhoods and Community Outreach.