Durham Man Sentenced to 13-1/2 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearms

GREENSBORO - A Durham, North Carolina man was sentenced today in Greensboro to 163 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to a possession of firearms as a previously convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Dan Bishop of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).

FREDERICK LAMONT MAYO, JR., aged 37, was sentenced to 163 months imprisonment plus 3 years post release supervision by the Honorable Lindsey A. Freeman, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC.

According to court records, on September 9, 2025, the Durham County Sheriff's Office, Anti-Crime Narcotics Unit, along with the FBI's Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force, were conducting a proactive anti-gang initiative in Durham. Deputies recovered a Taurus .40 caliber pistol and a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol from the driver seat floorboard of a vehicle that MAYO had been driving earlier. MAYO made multiple admissions to the ownership of the firearms and control of the vehicle where the firearms were recovered.

Court documents also show that MAYO illegally possessed three additional firearms on two other occasions, one firearm in 2024 and two firearms after his release from custody for the September 2025 firearms possession charge.

MAYO is a multi-convicted felon who was previously convicted on April 4, 2019, in Johnston County Superior Court for felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance as an habitual felon and received a sentence of 58 to 82 months imprisonment.

MAYO pleaded guilty on June 1, 2026, to being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).