Department of Justice

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Alonzo Darnell Wood, age 39, of Washington, D.C., yesterday to 33 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to court documents, Wood was attempting to enter a Maryland casino when a casino security officer observed a blue folded knife near his waist band. The security officer advised Wood that the knife was not permitted in the casino and instructed Wood to put the knife in his car. As Wood walked away, the security officer and a police officer noticed a strong odor emanating from Wood.

A short time later, Wood returned to the same security podium and the security officer asked Wood to present identification. When Wood began to reach into his pockets, the security officer asked Wood to open his jacket, which was completely zipped up. The police officer searched Wood to check for weapons and recovered a fully-loaded .40-caliber handgun from Wood’s waistband. Wood was placed under arrest. A subsequent search of Wood resulted in the discovery of 2.5 ounces of PCP in a glass bottle, two grams of marijuana, and the blue folded knife. Wood was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to previous felony drug convictions.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also 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; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dwight Draughon and Catherine Dick, who prosecuted the case.

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