Phillip Leon Leggett, a 30-year-old resident of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 102 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegal firearm possession. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) joined Ferguson in announcing the sentence.
Court records indicate that CMPD officers were monitoring an area in Charlotte for criminal activity during fall 2023 when they observed Leggett with a concealed firearm. As officers approached him, Leggett fled on foot. During the chase, two firearms fell from his person and were recovered along his flight path. These included a black Taurus PT111 G2 9mm loaded with a magazine and an unregistered privately made “ghost gun” fitted with a 17-round magazine and a round in the chamber.
The investigation revealed that Leggett has multiple felony common law robbery convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. He will be transferred to federal custody upon designation of a facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude to the ATF and CMPD for their investigation efforts. The case prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators through streamlined resources from various task forces.
