FirstAlerts

Michael Ralph Collins Sentenced to 71 Months for Illegal Gun Possession

A Washington, D.C., man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for possessing a loaded handgun while fleeing police in an open case.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 8:50 a.m. ET
According to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Michael Ralph Collins, 33, was on Aug. 7, 2026, to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Collins pleaded guilty on May 7, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell. Official records state that officers pursuing Collins found a loaded Ruger .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun hidden inside an open washing machine in a laundry room along his flight route. Collins had been released from custody less than two weeks prior to the offense following a 2025 conviction for armed theft of a motor vehicle. His history also includes a 2011 conviction for attempted burglary and two 2013 convictions for armed robbery. In an official statement, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated that Collins armed himself shortly after his release and attempted to hide the weapon while fleeing. The matter was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Liss under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 12:50current

    First published.

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