Federal Judge Sentences Elizabeth City Career Offender After Trial Conviction (DOJ)

NEW BERN, N.C. - A U.S. Federal Judge sentenced Charles Lamont Gregory, III, a 36-year-old man from Elizabeth City to 14 years in prison after a jury convicted him on all counts related to an August 2022 traffic stop. Officers found a bag of crack and a gun hidden in his car, just four months after his release from a 12-year state prison sentence for armed robbery. The federal jury found him guilty on June 10, 2025.

"Career criminals will not escape justice when federal prosecutors team up with local police departments such as the fine men and women of the Elizabeth City Police Department," said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. "Let me be clear: if you continue committing crimes, especially after being punished repeatedly by the State with no deterrent effect, we will find you, we will convict you at trial, we will lock you up, and we will keep our cities safe from unrepentant repeat offenders like Gregory."

"We will continue to arrest individuals who insist on selling poison in our community. We want to put you on notice: if you choose to commit crimes in Elizabeth City, we will arrest you and collaborate with our federal partners to prosecute you at the federal level," said Elizabeth City Police Chief Eddie Graham, Jr.

"There is an absolute connection between drug dealing and gun violence in our communities," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. "A firearm in the hands of a drug dealer and felon is a serious danger, and ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything possible to apprehend those that pose these threats to our communities."

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Gregory was driving a car with expired tags in the early morning hours of August 7, 2022. An Elizabeth City Police Officer on patrol spotted the car and stopped it. Gregory delayed stopping, making several turns, the last of which was into a gas station parking lot. As Gregory finally turned into the gas station, the officer saw him throw a yellow bag out of the window. Officers retrieved the bag and discovered eight individually wrapped baggies of lab-confirmed crack cocaine. Each baggie containing about 1.5 grams and packaged for easy distribution. Officers also located a loaded gun in the vehicle's glove compartment. After a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Gregory of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession with the intent to distribute crack, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Jermaine Sellers prosecuted the case. The Elizabeth City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolinaor on PACERby searching for Case No. 2:23-CR-00014.

Updated January 2, 2026