Two Philadelphia Firearms Traffickers Convicted at Trial of Multiple Offenses Including Gunpoint Robbery of ATF Informant
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Darrell Wylie, 27, and Namir White, 29, both of Philadelphia, PA were convicted at trial on all charges arising from their involvement in illegal gun sales and the gunpoint robbery of a cooperating government informant.
Wylie and White were both charged in December 2019 with robbery, theft of government funds, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of firearms, and aiding and abetting. Wylie was also charged at the same time with possession with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. White was also charged at the same time with dealing in firearms without a license.
Between April and August 2017, White sold 11 handguns to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) cooperating witness in nine separate transactions. Wylie sold two additional guns to the cooperating witness in two transactions in October 2017. Neither defendant possessed a federal firearms license as necessary to lawfully engage in the business of dealing in firearms. Moreover, both defendants had been convicted of felony offenses prior to the above referenced transactions. Each of the transactions was audio and video recorded; in each case, the cooperating witness used funds provided by ATF to make the purchases.
Finally, in November 2017, the defendants jointly agreed to sell three more guns to the cooperating witness, for a total price of $3,200 cash. As in all of the prior controlled transactions, the cooperating witness was provided with government funds, in cash, to make the purchase. The witness met with White and Wylie as planned. However, instead of selling him the guns as agreed, the defendants took the cash from him and, while Wylie threatened him with a pistol, announced that they would keep the money and that he would be shot if he resisted. The cooperating witness fled and reported what had occurred to the ATF agents who were monitoring the transaction. Both defendants were soon arrested, and Wylie was found with a pistol in his waistband and approximately 20 packages of fentanyl-laced heroin.
Both defendants now face significant sentences as career offenders: as much as 360 months to lifetime incarceration.
“The conviction of Wylie and White is a victory for the citizens of Philadelphia because their lawless gun trafficking endangered everyone living and working here,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “So far this year, Philadelphia has already seen more than 20 homicides in half a month. We will continue to work aggressively to enforce the laws on the books and to keep guns out of the hands of those, like convicted felons, who are not permitted to possess them.”
“ATF’s top priority is combating violent crime; one of the ways we accomplish that mission is by keeping firearms out of the hands of violent offenders,” said Donald Robinson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “These convictions are a perfect example of the collaborative effort between ATF, our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office in targeting violent offenders and protecting our communities.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. LaBar.
