Department of Justice

DETROIT – Detroit rapper Marcellus Wallace, a/k/a “Baby Grizzley,” was sentenced yesterday to 57 months in prison based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the ATF’s Detroit Division.

According to court records, on December 8, 2020, Wallace, age 25, and co-defendant Nolan Dasgupta-Francis, age 25, of Detroit, were seated in the rear passenger seats of a rented white Maserati driven by another man. Royal Oak Police had pulled the car over because it was nighttime, and the car’s headlights were off. When police approached the driver’s side window, they noticed two red solo cups in the cup holders near the driver. Wallace and Dasgupta-Francis both told officers that they were drinking and not their driver. Dasgupta-Francis produced a partially consumed bottle of “Johnny Walker Black” that he showed the officers.

Because of the open intoxicants, police asked everyone to get out of the car so they could search it. Upon Wallace’s exiting the car, police noticed suspected marijuana and two fully loaded semiautomatic pistols on the floorboard where Wallace had been seated. On the floor near where Dasgupta-Francis sat, police found two more fully loaded semiautomatic pistols. Wallace and Dasgupta-Francis were both on state parole at the time of the offense.

According to court records, when Wallace was placed in the rear of a squad car with the driver of the Maserati, Wallace tried to bribe the driver with $20,000 if the driver would take the rap for the firearms found in the car. Wallace had just received $300,000 in cash proceeds for signing a record deal.

Dasgupta-Francis was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison. Both defendants were sentenced by United States District Judge Laurie J. Michelson. They both still have to face parole violation hearings with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Wallace committed the federal crime less than two months after having been released from state prison where he had been serving time for a robbery conviction.

“Individuals who illegally possess firearms in our community contribute to the violence that harms so many,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “We will continue make our community safe by prosecuting those who violate our gun laws.”

“This case demonstrates ATF’s core mission to stop violent criminals from illegally possessing firearms. We will continue to work side by side with our local law enforcement, and U.S. Attorney partners to make our communities safer.” said, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai.

The Detroit office of the ATF investigated this case along with the Royal Oak Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Terrence R. Haugabook and Tare Wigod assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent or repeat offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.