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A District man known to run afoul of the law is back behind bars after being convicted - again - on drug and weapon charges, federal authorities announced this week.
James Fitzgerald Honesty, 35, was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison following an incident in May 2022 that required a police foot chase and led to the recovery of drugs and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
It was Honesty's fifth conviction involving weapons, and third for possession of drugs with the intent to distribute.
According to prosecutors, the latest incident involved a flight from officers and abandonment of a loaded gun and dangerous controlled substances on a public sidewalk in a residential neighborhood in Southeast DC - less than 1,000 feet from an elementary school.
He was the subject of two 911 calls on the day of his arrest, one of which advised the Metropolitan Police Department that Honesty was armed with a gun that he used in a fight.
Court documents state that on May 23, 2022, MPD received a call at 6:25 p.m. reporting an altercation on the 2500 block of Ainger Place SE, and that “one of the guys pulled out a gun.”
Another caller reported a man with a weapon, saying, “(he is) right here. He pulled out a gun on my boyfriend, threatened to kill him.”
Multiple officers responded, spotted Honesty, who, after making eye contact, took off running.
Three officers pursued Honesty, who took out a firearm from his waistband and dropped it on the ground. The chase continued around a corner, where he then dropped a black satchel to the ground before he was apprehended by the police.
"An officer recovered the gun - a Springfield Armory 9mm semi-automatic loaded with 21 rounds in an extended magazine and one round in the chamber - in the path of the Honesty’s flight.
"Another officer found the satchel bag which contained nearly 24 grams of liquid Phencyclidine (PCP), 32 grams of a white powder, determined to be N, N-Dimethylpentylone, and brown rock-like substance later determined to be N-Propylbutylone.
"Both substances are considered to be varieties of 'boot,' which is a designer synthetic stimulant that is typically sold as a cheaper alternative to Ecstasy or MDMA (sometimes referred to as 'Molly')."
Honesty pleaded guilty in September last year to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and unlawful possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Phencyclidine (PCP).
He's been detained since his arrest on March 23, 2022.
In addition to his prison term, Honesty was also ordered by a judge to serve five years of supervised release.
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