Cevin Andre Belton, 40, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for trafficking crack cocaine and unlawfully possessing a semi-automatic pistol. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro after Belton pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
Judge Trevor N. McFadden presided over the case and ordered that, following his prison term, Belton will also serve three years of supervised release.
The announcement was made jointly with Anthony Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, on March 22 MPD officers observed Belton standing in an alley behind the 4000 block of 9th Street. When officers approached in their patrol car, Belton walked toward a nearby building but then fled on foot while holding his waistband. During the chase along the 4200 block of 9th Street SE, he removed a black firearm from his waistband and threw it onto grass before being apprehended near 9th and Bellevue Streets SE. Officers recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol along his flight path.
A search revealed that Belton had 15.5 grams of crack cocaine and $157 in cash on him. He later admitted he intended to distribute the drugs.
Belton has a previous conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon in Prince George’s County for which he served eight years in prison.
The case was investigated by both the Metropolitan Police Department and ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.
