Five Federally Charged in Gun-Running Scheme That Trafficked About 40 Firearms From North Carolina to D.C.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 21 that a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned a 13-count indictment charging five defendants in a firearms trafficking scheme that moved guns from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., and the National Capital Region. ATF agents arrested four of the defendants in Maryland and one in Raleigh, North Carolina. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia and U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the charges.
On October 20, 2026, the Make DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force executed five federal arrest warrants. Investigators determined that the co-conspirators supplied upwards of approximately 40 firearms to individuals across multiple states, including Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia, and Saint Georges, Grenada. The charges include conspiracy to traffic firearms, firearms trafficking, and making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer.
The defendants are Brian “B” Agee, 40; Arnise Lecresha Young, 33; Frank “Fatboy” Rayvone Harris, 38; Antonique Whitaker, 34; and Christian Shedetta Atkinson, 30. Young and Whitaker hold valid Special Police Officer licenses in the District of Columbia. Agee faces the most counts, including six counts of firearms trafficking and six counts of aiding and abetting false statements to a licensed dealer.
“This operation exemplifies the commitment of our federal, state, and local partners working together under the Make DC Safe and Beautiful initiative,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Gun-running networks do not respect state lines, and neither does our determination to stop them.” ATF Director Rob Cekada said: “If you traffic firearms to violent criminals, gang members, or prohibited persons, ATF will find you and hold you accountable.”
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum of 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and trafficking offenses and 10 years for false-statement offenses, with any sentence determined by a federal district court judge. The ATF is investigating the case. An indictment is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：执法部门查获的步枪与弹匣（资料图）。美国政府公共领域，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Seized rifles and magazines (file photo). U.S. Government, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
