Federal prison is now on the horizon for a 52-year-old D.C. man who was found passed out on a busy Northwest sidewalk with a loaded ghost gun tucked into his waistband.
James Fredrick Moore was sentenced Friday to 27 months in federal prison, plus two years of supervised release, after admitting he illegally had the weapon and ammunition despite his felony record. He pleaded guilty in March to federal counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, along with unlawful possession of a privately made firearm.
The sentence was announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, Moore entered his guilty plea on March 9, 2026, without a plea agreement, to unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and unlawful possession of a privately made firearm.
The case started on Sept. 3, 2025, when a witness spotted an unconscious man with a gun near 1st Street NW and Florida Avenue NW and called 911. Metropolitan Police officers arrived to find Moore on the sidewalk with a loaded 9mm privately made pistol built on a Polymer80 frame tucked into the back of his waistband. Officers also recovered suspected drug paraphernalia and a substance that field-tested positive for amphetamines. As reported by Daily Voice, initial coverage of the incident included a photo credited to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Charges and sentence
Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg handed down the 27-month term and ordered two years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had asked for 33 months, but the judge ultimately went lower. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, the investigation was carried out by the Metropolitan Police Department and the ATF’s Washington Field Office.
The case was prosecuted under the "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Ibanez. Court records identify the matter as case number 25cr293.
Investigation and context
Privately made firearms, often called ghost guns, have increasingly grabbed the attention of federal and local investigators. The ATF has reported that suspected privately made firearms recovered in a recent year hit roughly 20,000, about ten times the number from 2016. That surge has prompted expanded joint training, more detailed guidance on evidence collection, and stepped-up enforcement efforts focused on un-serialized weapons and the kits used to assemble them, according to the agency.
Legal note
Federal law makes it a crime for anyone with a prior felony conviction to possess firearms or ammunition. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924, violations of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) can carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Judges impose sentences case by case under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors, taking into account a defendant's criminal history, the details of the offense, and any aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
Moore remains in custody while he awaits designation to a Bureau of Prisons facility to begin serving his sentence. The case, listed as 25cr293, was handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
