Montgomery County felon sentenced to 37 months in prison for illegal possession of ammunition and postal service keys

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland issued the following press release on Monday, June 17, 2024:

On June 12, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Andrew Steven Martin, 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of ammunition and unlawful possession of U.S. Postal Service keys used to access U.S. Postal Service mail receptacles.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge, Ajay Lall, of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”); Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Mark P. Sroka of the City of Gaithersburg Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on May 17, 2022, a Gaithersburg Police officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Martin. After approaching the vehicle, the officer detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle's interior. Law enforcement recovered a bag containing marijuana from the center console, a half-smoked marijuana joint, and two USPS “arrow” keys, one of which opened two collection boxes located outside the Reisterstown Post Office.

During the search of the vehicle, law enforcement also recovered a stack of credit cards from the back seat that were not in Martin's name; two ID cards, one of which had a photo of Martin and a different name; and approximately 42 checks bearing the names of payors and payees who were not Martin. Law enforcement also located in the center frame near the floor additional checks with names other than Martin's, at least five debit cards; a privately manufactured 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition; and an orange pill bottle containing 27 pills containing heroin and fentanyl. In total, law enforcement located 47 personal checks and two cashier's checks in the vehicle. The amount of funds to be paid by check is approximately $80,164.89. Martin was arrested on an open warrant.

Martin knew he had a prior felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing ammunition.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening the PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community organizations that help prevent violence in the first place , define targeted and strategic priorities. law enforcement priorities and measuring results.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Montgomery County Police Department and the City of Gaithersburg Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Gustavo Ruiz and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who are prosecuting the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and