Repeat Drug Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

An Upper Marlboro man with a history of drug trafficking and weapons charges was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for a new round of drug crimes.

Federal prosecutors say Mahdi Lawson, 27, of Upper Marlboro, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a gun; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to his plea agreement, law enforcement searched Lawson’s residence in Upper Marlboro, where they found a semi-automatic handgun in a backpack, along with marijuana, crack cocaine and MDMA (Ecstasy).

Lawson said the handgun and drugs recovered belonged to him and that he had carried the firearm to sell drugs. Prosecutors say he had several previous felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

According to a previous Patch story, Lawson was charged on Nov. 16, 2012, in connection with a fatal shooting days earlier of a Washington, D.C., man in Capitol Heights. He was initially charged with second-degree murder and related charges.

In May 2014, Lawson was convicted of possession and conspiracy to distribute marijuana inside the Prince George’s County jail. WUSA reported that he came under investigation when a former officer was suspected of smuggling contraband into the facility. Lawson was named as the inmate the officer had been smuggling drugs into the facility for, officials claimed.