A Washington D.C. man has admitted his part in a firearms trafficking conspiracy, pleading guilty to a federal charge this week. Juwon Anderson, 22, entered his plea in U.S. District Court, where Judge Amy Berman Jackson has scheduled the sentencing hearing for June 5. Anderson faces charges stemming from a December 2023 incident involving the theft of dozens of guns from a Maryland pawn shop, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Anderson's guilty plea connects him to an audacious burglary that netted at least 34 firearms from the A & D Pawn Shop, with the ensuing days revealing his role through social media posts that advertised the stolen weapons; Anderson was arrested on December 15, 2023, with two such firearms in his possession. Others implicated in the crime include Vincent Lee Alston, Niquan Odumn, Cy’Juan Hemsley, and Tyjuan McNeal, who are all facing their own sets of charges. The court documents outline the break-in, during which co-conspirators cut locks, pried open doors, and stole the valuable items.
The investigation, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division and the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the ATF Baltimore Field Division, culminated in this recent plea. The U.S. Attorney’s Office identified Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shehzad Akhtar and Ryan Lipes as the prosecutors on the case.
