A Durham man, William Lovell Harper, 26, was sentenced in Greensboro to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a firearm charge. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Clifton T. Barrett of the Middle District of North Carolina.
U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr., issued the sentence of 96 months imprisonment and three years of post-release supervision.
According to court records, Harper was apprehended on September 4, 2024, on Hillsborough Road in Durham. Officers found a loaded handgun in his possession at the time of arrest. Authorities noted that Harper had three active warrants for his arrest then, including one related to a March 2024 robbery in Durham and another for violating post-release supervision.
Harper had prior felony convictions: Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury and Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon in Beaufort County in 2017; and Conspiracy to Commit Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill in Craven County in 2018. Because of these convictions, he was legally barred from possessing firearms when he was arrested.
Court documents indicate that Harper admitted being a member of the Bloods gang in 2023.
In April this year, Harper was convicted in Durham County for Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon related to an incident on March 28, 2024. He received an additional state sentence ranging from 11 to 146 months; sixty months of his new federal sentence will be served consecutively to this state sentence.
Harper pleaded guilty on April 10, 2025, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm under federal law (18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8)).
The case involved investigation by the Durham Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Durham County District Attorney’s Office also assisted. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Iverson prosecuted the case.
