Repeat felon sentenced after ghost gun, drugs recovered at Southeast D.C. apartment complex (DOJ)

WASHINGTON - Anthony Thomas, 31, a previously convicted felon of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 42 months in prison in connection with his unlawful possession of a loaded ghost gun, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Thomas pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 42-month prison term, Judge Kelly ordered Thomas to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on May 19, 2025, Metropolitan Police Department officers approached a group of people at the Stanton Terrace Apartments in Southeast D.C. When an officer noticed a bulge on Thomas' back, officers stopped him and recovered a ghost gun, which is a privately manufactured firearm, bearing no serial number and untraceable by law enforcement. The gun was loaded with 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

A search incident to arrest recovered suspected narcotics and a digital scale. Lab testing confirmed the substances included marijuana, hashish, methamphetamine mixed with cocaine, and pills, two of which tested positive for fentanyl.

This is Thomas' third conviction involving the illegal possession or use of a handgun. He was previously convicted of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence as a juvenile, and later of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence as an adult. He was on supervised release from that case when he committed the offense here.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Office.

This case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty.

Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump's Executive Order to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

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