A 23-year-old Washington D.C. resident, Niquan Odumn, was sentenced on Monday to four years in federal prison for his role in a dramatic heist of a Maryland pawn shop, which saw the theft of dozens of firearms. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced that U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered Odumn to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, on December 13, 2023, Odumn, alongside at least four co-conspirators, broke into the A&D Pawn Shop in Glen Burnie, Maryland. They brought tools sufficient for the break-in, with Odumn slicing through security gates with a portable saw, and another member of the group prying open the store's main door with a crowbar. Inside, they swiftly collected 34 firearms comprising rifles, shotguns, and pistols. Odumn, known as "Stickz," was detained on March 25, 2024, and has been in custody since then, the justice department reported.
The heist did not conclude without consequence for Odumn’s accomplices as well. Juwon Markel Anderson, a 22-year-old also from D.C., received a sentence of 84 months on June 20 for his part in the burglary, as well as attempting to sell several of the stolen guns. Tyjuan McNeal, 27, is awaiting sentencing scheduled for July 1 on conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking, and Vincent Lee Alston, 23, entered a guilty plea on March 6 for one count of the same charge. Cy'juan Hemsley has also pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and possession of stolen firearms on May 7. The operation to bring down the perpetrators was a collaborative effort involving the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the ATF's Baltimore Field Division.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who garnered support from former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes. The Special Agent in Charge, Anthony Spotswood, of the Washington Field Division, ATF, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department were also instrumental in announcing the sentencing. The investigation, which spans multiple jurisdictions, underscores the concerted efforts of law enforcement to clamp down on illegal gun trafficking and its associated crimes in the region.
