Baltimore Man With Active Arrest Warrant Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges After Going Live On Social Media

Baltimore, Maryland - A Baltimore man pled guilty to federal firearm charges in court, today, along with violating the terms of a previous sentence, stemming from an incident in which he went live on social media while a warrant was out for his arrest.

Ronald Jones, 30, is charged with possessing firearms as a prohibited person and violating the terms of his supervised release. Jones is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to a prior felony conviction.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).

According to his guilty plea, on July 9, 2024, BPD officers spotted Jones, who had an active arrest warrant, on an Instagram Live story. During the Instagram Live, officers recognized the backdrop of where Jones was filming as a West Baltimore residence. Officers responded to the location, found Jones on the porch, and arrested him for the active warrant.

While on the porch, officers saw a brown satchel with a brown and black strap that Jones wore during the Instagram Live. Officers then recovered the satchel and felt a heavy object inside. A search of the bag yielded a loaded handgun with an extended firearm magazine containing 20 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, the officers found a stolen loaded firearm, with 10 rounds of ammunition, in Jones's front waistband area. At the time of this incident, Jones was on supervised release for a prior federal firearm conviction, the terms of which prohibited him from possessing a firearm or committing another federal, state, or local crime.

Jones faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and two years for violating the terms of his supervised release. Sentencing is set for Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2027, at 10 a.m.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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 Hayes commended the FBI and BPD for their work in this investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James G. O'Donohue, III, and Kim Y. Hagan who are prosecuting this federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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