Repeat Offender Receives Maximum Sentence (DOJ)

Defendant tried to kill a witness, but the gun misfired

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Maurice Ray Jr., 32, of Grand Rapids, Michigan was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. When imposing the statutory maximum term, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney noted that Ray posed a "very serious danger to the public."

Evidence at trial established that in April 2025, Ray's girlfriend called 911 to report she was being kidnapped on a ride to Lansing, Michigan. Ray threw her out of the moving car, dragging her down the street on her knees. After a neighbor came out to assist her, Ray returned with a gun drawn. He forced the girlfriend back into the car, pointed the gun at the neighbor and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire.

Police located Ray based on the neighbor's description and pulled him over. After a standoff, Ray sped off with the injured girlfriend still trapped in the vehicle. Ray led multiple patrol cars on a three-mile pursuit through Lansing, at times exceeding 90 miles per hour. When he was eventually cornered and arrested, Lansing police retraced the chase route and found a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol on the side of the road with Ray's DNA on the trigger. The unexpended round in the chamber had a striker mark, indicated it had misfired.

U.S. Attorney VerHey said, "Anyone who would try to murder a woman just because she was trying to be a good Samaritan deserves to go to prison. I am glad the ATF and the Lansing Police Department brought this case to my attention so that my office could send him there."

"Maurice Ray Jr. is an ATF poster child of an individual 100% deserving of federal prosecution for their illegal possession of a firearm," said James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Detroit Field Division. "He illegally armed himself, kidnapped and assaulted his girlfriend, and then attempted to fire a gun at a neighbor who stepped in to help. The only explanation why this incident did not result in a murder is because that firearm malfunctioned. This sentence ensures an armed violent, career criminal is off the streets for 15 years. ATF will continue to work relentlessly with our partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute armed felons who threaten the safety of our community."

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Lansing Police Department. Prosecution was assigned to Assistant United States Attorneys Nils Kessler and Olivia Ghiselli.