Richmond, Virginia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said Wednesday that a 27-year-old Richmond man had been sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a handgun.
According to court records, Richmond Police observed Mario Leequan Thorne brandishing a semi-automatic weapon during a verbal confrontation at a convenience shop on January 26, 2024. Thorne was discovered sitting in a car with six small, unprotected children inside when police arrived on the scene.
After Thorne was taken into custody, officers examined the area behind the driver’s seat and found a digital scale, 2.32 grams of fentanyl, 3.07 grams of cocaine, a pistol, and his Virginia ID. Due to his felony record, Thorne is not allowed to own firearms or ammunition. He was previously found guilty of possessing a concealed weapon in 2022.
The Eastern District of Virginia’s U.S. Attorney, Jessica D. Aber, praised the case’s integrated local and federal law enforcement efforts. Aber stated in a statement that safeguarding our communities from illicit guns and drugs is of utmost importance.
With assistance from the Richmond Police Department, the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Wright, the case was prosecuted.
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