A Norfolk man will serve just under two years in prison after police used a jailhouse phone call to track down a stolen gun he tried to hide during a foot chase.
Solomon Jah Mosely, 20, was sentenced in September to one year and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The gun in question had its serial number defaced — a key detail, because until this year, that wasn’t a crime in Virginia.
On January 19, Norfolk Police spotted a van with expired tags being driven by Mosely in the 2600 block of Tidewater Drive. When they tried to pull him over, he took off — leading officers on a short chase through Lindenwood. He eventually crashed into a one-way sign near Sutton and Fremont streets and ran off on foot, cutting through several backyards before police caught up with him.
While in the Norfolk City Jail the next day, Mosely made a phone call that changed the case. Police were monitoring the call when Mosely told someone he’d been in a chase and had hidden a gun. He gave detailed instructions on where to find it. Officers followed up, recovered the weapon, and confirmed it had been reported stolen out of Chesapeake just two days earlier. The serial number on the barrel had been scratched off beyond recognition.
At the time, Mosely was already prohibited from owning a gun due to a previous juvenile felony.
He later struck a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to the gun possession charge and to the misdemeanor of having a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Four more years of his sentence were suspended, but he’ll have to complete two years of supervised probation and keep a clean record for three years after his release.
His sentence falls within the state’s recommended guidelines, and several other misdemeanor charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Joseph C. Lindsey approved the deal on September 5.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi emphasized how a new state law played a role in the case. Until July 1 of this year, it wasn’t illegal in Virginia to possess or sell a gun with a defaced serial number — a legal gap that law enforcement couldn’t do much about.
“That loophole in Virginia law was crazy and allowed wrongdoers to possess or even sell illegal crime guns with no recourse for police or prosecutors,” said Fatehi. He and Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano pushed for the change during the 2024 General Assembly session.
Fatehi credited the Norfolk Police for their persistence in uncovering the weapon and said his office remains focused on reducing violence and pushing for common-sense legal reforms.