Department of Justice

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

According to court documents, Cornelius Maurice King, Jr., 25, working with co-conspirator Yeakain Yabu Koroma, 26, bought dozens of firearms and then resold them to third parties to turn a profit. Between January and June 2018, King and Koroma resold 26 firearms. Neither King nor Koroma were licensed to sell firearms.

“King illegally trafficked 26 firearms, and the vast majority of those firearms are still out on the street,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Cases like this are representative of precisely why we have partnered with the ATF, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the Western District of Virginia on Project Guardian-DMV. We are determined and committed to investigating and enforcing firearms violations not just against the end user, but also against the illicit source of supply. Under Attorney General Barr’s leadership, Project Guardian remains a top Department of Justice priority as we enter 2020.”

Koroma is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema on February 7.

“The crime King committed has far-reaching effects. Trafficked firearms represent a danger to our community because they can end up in the hands of convicted felons, violent criminals, and many other kinds of people who are prohibited from having firearms,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division. “We will continue to work diligently alongside our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to fulfill the mission of Project Guardian by targeting offenders like King and getting illegally trafficked guns off the street.”

Below is a table that includes the make, model, caliber, and type of firearm illegally trafficked by King.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia T. Giles and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony W. Mariano prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-315.