NORRISTOWN — A Philadelphia man whose criminal history prohibited him from possessing a firearm will spend up to a dozen years in prison on charges he was found in possession of a stolen handgun during a traffic stop in Lower Merion Township.
Nafis T. Lloyd-Allen, 28, of the 5200 block of Race Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 6 to 12 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of person not to possess a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and receiving stolen property in connection with a June 2024 incident in Lower Merion.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement.
Before learning his fate, Lloyd-Allen apologized for his conduct but implied he had the Glock 17 weapon for protection.
“I chose to arm myself, which was not a good idea,” Lloyd-Allen conceded.
O’Neill, reflecting on “an epidemic of gun violence” in some communities, said unfortunately, he often hears young men claim “protection and respect” as the reasons for possessing guns, the so-called “code of the streets.”
Authorities said Lloyd-Allen had a prior criminal record that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. According to court records and arrest documents, Lloyd-Allen had previous convictions for robbery and burglary in Delaware County.
“Under the law, it says you can’t have it. The Legislature sets how serious it is,” said O’Neill, addressing sentencing guidelines that called for prison time for illegal gun possession.
Lloyd-Allen will receive credit for the time he spent in the county jail since his arrest on June 30, 2024, and while awaiting court action on the charges. Lloyd-Allen now will be transferred to a state prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Lloyd-Allen was supported in court by several family members.
Pointing to the serious nature of gun crimes, Assistant District Attorney Courtney McMonagle sought the state prison term for Lloyd-Allen.
“It’s a lengthy prison sentence to reflect how serious these crimes are, especially for somebody like him who has a significant criminal history that makes him a person not to possess in the first place,” McMonagle said.
The sentence, although a lengthy one, was in the mitigated range of recommended state sentence guidelines in light of the fact Lloyd-Allen was cooperative with police at the time of the traffic stop. Lloyd-Allen immediately admitted he had a gun in a bag that was found in his vehicle and was upfront about how he acquired it, according to testimony and court documents.
Defense lawyer Michael Anthony Walker represented Lloyd-Allen during the court proceeding.
The investigation began shortly after 1 p.m. June 29, 2024, when Lower Merion police conducted a traffic stop of a Ford Fusion vehicle, operated by Lloyd-Allen, that was traveling west on Montgomery Avenue near Levering Mill Road. The stop was conducted after police observed unusual driving behavior and what appeared to be air fresheners hanging from the vehicle’s rearview mirror, potentially obstructing the operator’s view, according to the criminal complaint.
Lloyd-Allen told police he worked as a landscaper and was on his way to a township residence to cut grass. During the stop, police noticed Lloyd-Allen appeared nervous and his hands where shaking, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and when they asked for consent to search the vehicle, Lloyd-Allen consented but added, “the weed is not mine,” according to the arrest affidavit filed by Lower Merion Police Officer John Iushewitz.
Police subsequently recovered four sandwich-type bags of marijuana from the pocket of a man who was a passenger in the vehicle. The passenger claimed ownership of the marijuana, court documents indicate.
Police also found a small black bag under the rear passenger seat and inside was a Glock 9mm handgun.
“Lloyd-Allen was able to corroborate owning the bag by showing pictures on his phone and Instagram account,” Iushewitz alleged, adding Lloyd-Allen also stated that the firearm was only ever fired once when he dropped it while he was in possession of it and it caused damage to his bedroom’s baseboard.
During a subsequent interview, Lloyd-Allen admitted to possessing the firearm and stealing it from a co-worker at a Philadelphia fast food restaurant in December 2023.
“Lloyd-Allen stated that the other employee brandished the gun often during work. Lloyd-Allen stated that during the work shift the employee stored the firearm in a closet on occasion, when he saw an opportunity, he stole the firearm,” Iushewitz alleged in the criminal complaint.
Police said the firearm was never reported stolen.
Lloyd-Allen, according to court papers, admitted to police that he knew his criminal history prohibited him from possessing a gun.