Tyjuan McNeal, a 28-year-old man from the District of Columbia, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for a burglary that resulted in the theft of dozens of firearms from a Maryland pawn shop. According to the United States Attorney's Office, McNeal's 84-month incarceration will be followed by three years of supervised release. He was one of five involved in the heist, which took place in December 2023 at A&D Pawn Shop in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
McNeal, who pleaded guilty on March 12, was implicated in a conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. The sentencing came down from U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson. Court documents detail that McNeal and his co-conspirators drove from Washington, D.C., to the pawn shop where they used tools to bypass security measures and removed an assortment of rifles, shotguns, and pistols. On top of the incarceration, McNeal will have to serve a stint of supervised release.
The burglary was a coordinated effort; McNeal's ankle monitor was found wrapped in aluminum foil in an attempt to evade detection. The group's tactics were brazen, involving tools like a portable saw to cut locks and a crowbar to pry open the main door of the pawn shop. The culprits successfully made off with at least 34 firearms, but it was through social media that they tripped up, using it to advertise the sale of the stolen goods. McNeal was arrested on March 22, 2024, and found in possession of a stolen Glock 29 pistol.
Others involved in the crime have already faced justice. Co-defendants Juwon Markel Anderson, 22, and Vincent Lee Alston, known as "Vedo," 23, have both been handed 84-month sentences. Niquan "Stickz" Odum, 23, was sentenced to 48 months. The final co-conspirator, Cy'juan Hemsley, 20, awaits sentencing after pleading to conspiracy to commit theft from a firearms licensee and to possession of stolen firearms. The case was a joint investigation effort between the ATF Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department, with contributions from the ATF Baltimore Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar led the prosecution, with former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes offering his expertise.
