Corey Whittico, a 22-year-old from Washington, D.C., received an 84-month prison sentence for an incident involving the brandishing of a machine gun while live-streaming on Instagram. Captured on video by Whittico himself, the episode displayed a pistol modified to shoot automatically and also revealed a significant amount of marijuana in the backseat of the vehicle he was riding in, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The conviction, announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, followed Whittico's guilty plea on December 17, 2024, to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, during the livestream police officers who knew of Whittico observed him in the passenger seat, wielding a Glock handgun equipped with a "switch", they took their marked cruiser and found him in Northeast Washington. Whittico is prohibited from having firearms due to his status as a convicted felon, stemming from a 2023 robbery conviction in Prince George's County where he was handed a 10-year sentence, eight years and six months were suspended, according to the press release.
On December 19, 2023, authorities watched the live Instagram video that showed Whittico holding the modified firearm and what appeared to be marijuana, law enforcement personnel tracked the vehicle to the Clay Terrace area, a place Whittico frequently visited, and executed a traffic stop where evidence of tampering was observed as occupants seemed to hide something beneath a seat, upon searching the vehicle, officers uncovered over three pounds of marijuana and two loaded and modified firearms, one having 17 rounds and the other 26, beneath the front passenger seat.
In addition to his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates ordered that Whittico be placed under three years of supervised release following his incarceration, the case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English with help from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Courtney.
