Five men with prior felony convictions are headed back to federal prison after Charlotte-area stops turned up loaded handguns, some of them stolen, according to court records. Their new sentences range from 30 to 70 months and all stem from separate Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department encounters.
CMPD Stops Spark Federal Cases, Prosecutors Say
"Those who continually engage in crime using firearms are going to find themselves in the federal system," U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of North Carolina. The announcement says the five previously convicted felons were sentenced in federal court on Tuesday as part of coordinated prosecutions. The office credited the ATF and the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department for the investigations that led to the guilty pleas.
Among the group, prosecutors say 35‑year‑old Timothy Demetrius Williams of Mooresville drew the longest term, 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release, after officers reported finding a Glock Model 43X, 9mm, in his jacket pocket on Aug. 15, 2024. The gun was later traced as stolen. In a separate case, 28‑year‑old Luther Joseph Weathers was ordered to serve 57 months followed by two years of supervised release after CMPD officers recovered a loaded Taurus Magnum .357 from his jacket during a June 12, 2024 contact. Charlotte Alerts News provided the sentencing details.
Traffic Stops and Transit Center Search Round Out the Cases
The remaining three cases unfolded early this year. According to court filings, 28‑year‑old Damiyus Diamonte Fowler of Charlotte was sentenced to 52 months in prison and three years of supervised release after a Feb. 9, 2025 traffic stop turned up a Glock with an extended magazine. Fowler was already on federal supervised release at the time, and the court tacked on an additional 12 months.
On Feb. 22, 2025, a separate traffic stop led officers to 32‑year‑old Jamil Omire Ali, who received a 45‑month sentence after police say they found a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P Shield tucked into his waistband.
The fifth defendant, 40‑year‑old Dwayne Furlow Chaney, was arrested following a Jan. 31, 2025 search at the Charlotte Transit Center, where officers reported finding a Smith & Wesson MP40 and several grams of narcotics. Authorities say that pistol also turned out to be stolen. These case details were outlined by Charlotte Alerts News.
Part of a Broader Federal Push
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the sentencings are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that pulls together federal, state and local partners to identify repeat offenders and remove illegal guns from communities. Prosecutors and investigators described the outcomes as the product of coordinated work between the U.S. Attorney's Office, the ATF and CMPD aimed at reducing violent crime in the Charlotte area.
Legal Context
Federal law bars people with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms, and prosecutors typically bring those charges in federal court. In these cases the defendants pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and judges imposed the prison terms after sentencing hearings and plea submissions, according to court records and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
CMPD Chief Estella D. Patterson praised the collaboration with federal partners in the U.S. Attorney's announcement, saying joint investigations help identify the drivers of violence and keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. Officials said the sentences are intended both to remove dangerous individuals from the streets and to deter others from carrying illegal weapons in Charlotte neighborhoods.
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