Each weekday, the Department of Justice will highlight a case that has resulted from Operation Legend. Today’s case is out of the Eastern District of Michigan. Operation Legend launched in Detroit on July 29, 2020, in response to the city facing increased homicide and non-fatal shooting rates.
United States vs. Gregory Dulaney
“Operation Legend continues to show results,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Positive changes can happen when law enforcement agencies from across the board work together to make our streets safer. Removing the scourge of drugs and guns from our communities is our top priority.”
Gregory Dulaney was charged on Aug. 19, 2020, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and distributing narcotics.
According to the charging document, ATF special agents conducted an undercover operation in which confidential informants purchased suspected crack cocaine from Dulaney at a motel in Detroit. On July 30, 2020, while purchasing 19 baggies of crack cocaine from Dulaney, a confidential informant also allegedly noticed a firearm in Dulaney’s pants pocket.
On Aug. 8, 2020, local police conducted a traffic stop of an individual wanted on a no-bond warrant for cocaine possession. During the stop, an officer allegedly observed the front seat passenger – later identified as Dulaney – placing something on the floorboard or under the seat. The officer asked Dulaney for identification, and Dulaney provided a false name.
During a subsequent search of Delany, he was found in possession of a crack pipe and a small amount of heroin. Officers then searched the vehicle Delaney had been in and found a loaded Hi-Point, C9, 9mm handgun under the front passenger seat. It is alleged that Delaney eventually admitted to providing the officer with a fake name because he was on parole for a previous felony conviction.
Because of a previous felony conviction punishable by more than one year in prison, Dulaney is prohibited from possessing firearms.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Background on Operation Legend
President Trump promised to assist America’s cities that have been plagued by violence. In July, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Operation Legend, a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative across all federal law enforcement agencies working in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime in cities across America that were experiencing an uptick in violence. Operation Legend is named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed on June 29th in Kansas City, Missouri, while asleep in his home.
Operation Legend was launched in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8, 2020, and expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, 2020, to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee on July 29, 2020, to St. Louis and Memphis on Aug. 6, 2020, and to Indianapolis on Aug. 14, 2020. As part of Operation Legend, Attorney General Barr has directed federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF to surge resources to these cities to help state and local officials fighting violent crime. The Department of Homeland Security is also contributing agents to these efforts in St. Louis. Since its inception, Operation Legend has yielded more than 2000 local, state, and federal arrests, with approximately 592 defendants charged with federal crimes.
