30-year-old Benton Harbor man sentenced to prison for firearm offense

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced 30-year-old Darell William Craft Jr., of Benton Harbor, has been sentenced to seven years and four months in federal prison for possessing a stolen firearm with a high-capacity magazine as a convicted felon, while on probation for a prior conviction.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Maloney added Craft presented “a major risk to the law-abiding public.”

Craft was initially charged in October 2023 under Safe Summer 2023, a gun-violence enforcement program under which the U.S. Attorney’s Office committed to prosecute all firearms offenders who possess crime guns, which are guns previously fired in the commission of a crime.

“Craft exhibited a stunning disregard for human life, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes,” said Totten. “No level of violence is acceptable. The people of Benton Harbor, like people in every community across Michigan, deserve the right to walk their streets, relax in their homes, and carry out their lives without the fear of shots fired. We will continue to focus our efforts on people like Darell Craft who are driving violence in their communities.”

Documents state following a series of apparently related shootings in July 2023, police approached a parked car with Craft and his girlfriend inside.

Police then searched the car and found a loaded pistol with a high-capacity magazine.

Authorities also searched Craft’s girlfriend’s phone and found videos of Craft holding and pointing the pistol.

Police say ballistics testing showed the pistol had been used in three recent shootings.