Felon Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession

WASHINGTON - Cordell Simms, 32, a convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced yesterday to 37 months in prison for carrying a loaded semiautomatic pistol in a backpack while he was serving a period of supervised release and prohibited from possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Simms pleaded guilty Oct. 23, 2025, before Judge Emmet G. Sullivan to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 37-month sentence, Judge Sullivan ordered Simms to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on Sept. 10, 2025, about 4:45 p.m. a Metropolitan Police officer responded to a report of a person with a gun in their waistband near 2nd and Farragut Streets NW. The officer canvassed the neighborhood in his marked cruiser and observed a man with a backpack - later identified as Simms.

Simms spotted the police officer and handed his backpack to a minor child. The child immediately began walking toward the front door of a nearby home. The officer intercepted the child and told her to drop the backpack. Simms began to run and led police on a lengthy foot chase.

Police caught and detained Simms and inspected the backpack. Inside the bag police recovered a Ruger SR40, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun with an obliterated serial number that was fitted with a laser sight. The Ruger was loaded with one round in the chamber and 11 rounds in the magazine.

Simms did not have a license to carry a firearm in the District. A criminal history check revealed he had been convicted of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon, had been sentenced to 18 months in prison, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm of any sort. At the time of his arrest in this case, Simms also was on supervised release following convictions of simple assault, second degree theft, and two counts of contempt.

This case was investigated by the MPD with valuable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George Eliopoulos of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.

Simms spotted the police officer and handed his backpack to a minor child. The officer intercepted the child and told her to drop the backpack.

Inside Simms' bag, police recovered a Ruger SR40, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol that was fitted with a laser sight.

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