Mark Harris, a 27-year-old Washington D.C. man previously convicted on felony charges, has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after admitting to illegally possessing firearms, including an untraceable "ghost gun," and substantial amounts of ammunition. The sentencing, as announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and other law enforcement officials, comes following a series of Instagram posts by Harris that displayed firearms and ammunition.
In a move to openly display his disregard for the law, Harris, who also goes by "Romilli," pleaded guilty on February 29, 2024, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Details from the U.S. Justice Department reveal that his sentencing includes 65 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release, as per the decision by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton.
The case against Harris unfolded when law enforcement was alerted to an Instagram livestream posted by him on May 23, 2023. During the stream, Harris was seen with a black handgun, uttering threatening words. "Crack a (explicit) head with this joint," he is quoted to have said in the stream. Acting on this and his prior conviction, the police acquired and executed a search warrant for Harris’s home on June 1, 2023, as per the U.S. Justice Department.
The initial search led to the discovery of multiple weapons and illegal substances in Harris's bedroom, including a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol without serial numbers and various rounds of ammunition. Despite the legal actions taken against him, by the end of the same month, Harris recklessly decided to once again showcase firearms on Instagram. This defiance led to another warranted search on November 2, 2023, where officials recovered more firearms and ammunition. Following this second incident, Harris was arrested and has remained in custody, awaiting sentencing.
This case was collaboratively investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration- Washington Division, the Metropolitan Police Department, and received help from the FBI. Legal proceedings were managed by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi of the violence reduction and trafficking offenses of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Washington D.C. The former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Crosby provided valuable assistance during the case.
