CENTREVILLE, VA — A Centreville man accused of brandishing a handgun outside a Fairfax County business earlier this year has been indicted on two federal charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
A federal grand jury indicted Brandon James Garnett on Wednesday on two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. The charges involve the same Taurus PT1911 .45-caliber pistol but allege Garnett illegally possessed it on two separate dates — Feb. 25 and March 27 — in Fairfax County.
Garnett was arrested on the federal warrant Aug. 20 and has remained in federal custody. A magistrate judge ordered him detained after an Aug. 21 hearing, citing safety and risk of nonappearance. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema in Alexandria.
The federal case grew out of a Feb. 25 investigation by Fairfax County Police Department officers into a report of someone brandishing a weapon at a business in the 14000 block of Lee Highway in Centreville, according to an affidavit filed by an FCPD officer serving as a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives task force officer.
Investigators said Garnett initially carried a black handgun into the business. Employees told him to secure the weapon in his vehicle, and he complied, according to the affidavit.
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Garnett later became involved in a verbal dispute with other patrons and challenged them to take the dispute outside, investigators said. He then went to his vehicle, retrieved the handgun and waved it in the air where bystanders could see it before leaving prior to the arrival of police, according to the affidavit. Investigators said Garnett left his wallet containing his Virginia identification card inside the business.
Fairfax County court records show Garnett was subsequently charged in state court with brandishing a firearm and possession of a firearm by a nonviolent felon in connection with the Feb. 25 incident. The prosecutor later dropped those charges.
Police obtained a warrant to search Garnett's Fairfax County residence on March 26 and executed it the following day, according to the federal affidavit. Investigators said they found a Taurus PT1911 .45-caliber pistol in a clothing dresser in Garnett's bedroom, along with a loaded .45-caliber magazine and an additional box of ammunition.
State court records show Garnett was arrested March 27 and charged with felony possession of a firearm by a nonviolent felon. That charge also was later nolle prossed.
Federal prosecutors later said that Garnett was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his previous felony convictions. The affidavit lists six prior felony offenses, including convictions in Spotsylvania County, Fredericksburg, Alexandria and Stafford County. His most recent felony conviction cited by federal investigators was a May 2024 Stafford County conviction for felony eluding, for which he received a three-year sentence with two years and nine months suspended.
The federal complaint was initially filed under seal Aug. 14, when a magistrate judge issued an arrest warrant and ordered the case sealed until Garnett was arrested. The warrant was returned executed Aug. 20.
At Garnett's preliminary and detention hearing the following day, a federal magistrate judge found probable cause to continue the case to a grand jury. Garnett's attorney argued for his release under conditions, but the judge denied that request and ordered him detained.
The new indictment contains a forfeiture notice seeking the Taurus pistol and associated magazines and ammunition if Garnett is convicted.
An indictment is an accusation of a crime and is not evidence of guilt. Garnett is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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