Burlington man sentenced to 30 months in prison for dealing in firearms without a license (DOJ)

GREENSBORO, N.C. - On August 28, 2026, Akeem Alphonso Maynard was sentenced to 30 months in prison for dealing in firearms without a license, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A), 923(a) and 924(a)(1)(D). Maynard, age 33, of Burlington, North Carolina, appeared before Judge William L. Osteen, Jr., and was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release following his prison term. Maynard was charged by federal indictment in February 2026 and pled guilty in June 2026.

Dan Bishop, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the announcement and thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE), and Alamance County Sheriff's Office for their work investigating the case. "Today we shut down one conduit of illegal firearms sales in this District, thanks to our law enforcement partners' investigation," said Bishop. "This should serve as a message to anyone who seeks to put guns in the wrong hands."

On March 11, 2025, the Alamance County Sheriff's Office found a handgun during the search of a fentanyl dealer's Burlington apartment, and the BATFE then found that Maynard was the original purchaser of that firearm. Further investigation showed that Maynard had purchased 16 firearms between June 16, 2023, and February 26, 2026. Seven of those firearms were later recovered by law enforcement, including the one on March 11, 2025. The other firearms recovered were:

• A Glock 27 pistol seized on May 4, 2025, by the Alamance County Sheriff's Office from a juvenile who used it to threaten another juvenile.
• A Glock 27 pistol seized by Burlington, N.C., police on March 15, 2025, from a person who was arrested while intoxicated at a Burlington restaurant.
• A Glock pistol seized by the Burlington Police Department on January 25, 2025, in the possession of a convicted felon during a DWI stop.
• A Glock 22 pistol seized by Gaston County law enforcement on December 12, 2024.
• A Glock 20 pistol, seized by the Burlington Police Department from a convicted felon during a traffic stop.
• A Taurus pistol seized on May 3, 2023, by the Alamance County Sheriff's Office from a convicted felon.

The standard ATF Form 4473 Maynard completed during the purchase of each firearm states that the buyer understands, "that the repetitive purchase of firearms for the purpose of resale to predominantly earn a profit without a Federal firearms license is a violation of Federal law." Recovered text messages showed Maynard offered to purchase firearms for others for a $120 to $150 fee. Maynard also failed to state his correct address on those forms.

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