Two defendants who stole guns from a man in an Arlington parking lot have been sentenced to a combined 18 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Cuedell Javon Henry, 20, and Tyrique Raashad Wesley, 25, were charged via criminal complaint in July 2021. They both subsequently pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm. Mr. Wesley was sentenced in May 2022 to 105 months in federal prison; Mr. Henry was sentenced Wednesday to 120 months in federal prison, to run consecutive a 180 month sentence handed down by the state.
“It is legal for hobbyists to sell off a few guns, but we urge them to exercise caution when doing so. Criminals – particularly those legally barred from possessing firearms – will often stop at nothing, including violence, to get their hands on guns,” said U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.
According to court documents, in the summer of 2021, Mr. Henry and Mr. Wesley contacted a man who advertised two 9mm pistols for sale on texasguntrader.com, claiming they wanted to purchase the guns. The three men agreed to meet in a parking lot in Arlington.
Once there, the defendants asked if they could examine the firearms. After emptying the chamber of ammunition, the man obliged.
Mr. Henry loaded one of the pistols and pointed it at the victim; meanwhile Mr. Wesley – a convicted felon who was not legally allowed to possess firearms – tucked the other pistol into his waistband. Armed with the two guns, the pair fled the scene in a 2013 Dodge Charger. The seller gave chase, and was able to take down the car’s license plate.
Based on the victim’s descriptions of Mr. Henry’s tattoos, law enforcement identified him. A review of his Instagram account showed him posing with multiple firearms, including a pistol similar to the one that had been stolen.
Law enforcement then located his Dodge Charger at a townhome in Arlington. There, they observed Mr. Henry and Mr. Wesley load a black bag into the vehicle and drive away.
Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Mr. Wesley, who was driving the vehicle, initially managed to evade them. They found the vehicle abandoned, with the front doors open, a short while later. Eventually, officers located and arrested Mr. Wesley, who gave chase on foot, and Mr. Henry.
Agents found on of the stolen guns inside the Dodge Charger, and another inside the townhome.
In plea papers, both men admitted to possessing the weapons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division and the Arlington Police Department’s Gun Crime Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Doug Allen and Alex Lewis prosecuted the case.