A Federal Way man's guilty plea has punctuated a saga of drugs, guns, and a straw purchasing scheme that uncovered a cache of over 20 firearms, some purchased just hours before his arrest, say officials. According to a U.S. Attorney Office's press release, 32-year-old De'ondre Lamontia Phillips, also known as Deondre Lamontia McDougle, entered his plea in a Seattle federal court on January 23rd, facing up to 40 years after admitting to a number of federal felonies involving firearms and controlled substances.
The tale unfolded after an attempted robbery last January led to the recovery of a firearm, tipped off the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and pointed to 107 firearms bought by Kent resident Dion Jamar Cooper, most of which flowed through Phillips despite his prohibitions from gun ownership following prior convictions for heroin distribution and assault, it was an intricate web of illicit trade that the officials picked apart, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office statement.
Cooperation between the ATF and the Seattle Police Department brought the surveillance and eventual arrest leading to the discovery of drugs including methamphetamine and fentanyl pills alongside an arsenal of 23 firearms in Phillips' apartment, car, and storage locker, some lacking serial numbers due to private manufacture, said officials. Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg is prosecuting the case, wherein Philips is schedule for sentencing on April 26 by U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez, with prosecutors recommending a maximum prison term of eight years.
Phillips faces charges that could lead to 55 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years for having a firearm in drug trafficking. However, prosecutors are suggesting a maximum of eight years. Judge Martinez isn't bound by this proposal, and Phillips' fate rests in the unpredictable and unforgiving judicial process. This case highlights the persistence of underground markets and law enforcement's determined efforts to dismantle them.
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