HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Two Hopewell brothers — both previously convicted felons — have been sentenced on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and firearms offenses.

Brothers 32-year-old Eric Michael Vaughan and 34-year-old Quadir McKinnon, both of Hopewell, were sentenced within the last year for incidents that took place between December 2022 and January 2023, according to a Sept. 10 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

McKinnon was sentenced on Jan. 31 to 14 years and seven months in prison for drug-related charges. On Sept. 10, Vaughan was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for firearm-related charges.

Both brothers had a criminal history prior to these most-recent sentencings. In Vaughan’s case, some of the included offenses date back to 2012.

In July 2012, Vaughan and a co-defendant robbed multiple victims in a Petersburg home. According to court documents, Vaughan was armed with a sawed-off shotgun during this incident.

This resulted in Vaughan being convicted of 11 felonies, including robbery, burglary, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and abduction. As a result, Vaughan was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

According to the DOJ, less than two months after his release, a trooper with Virginia State Police attempted to stop Vaughan for speeding. Vaughan reportedly threw a firearm at the trooper through the window of his vehicle in response.

For this incident, Vaughan was convicted of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, reckless driving, eluding police and driving without a license. According to the DOJ, he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for these charges.

On Dec. 19, 2022, Vaughan was on pre-trial release when Virginia State Police found him in a Hopewell motel room while executing a search warrant. According to the DOJ, they found four firearms, 27.74 grams of cocaine and 5.93 grams of a heroin, cocaine and fentanyl mixture in the room.

The room was rented by McKinnon who, according to the DOJ, previously sold drugs to a police informant. These drugs included 74.37 grams of cocaine, 4.43 grams of heroin and nearly 100 grams of methamphetamine.

On Jan. 18, 2023, state troopers took McKinnon into custody during a traffic stop. Vaughan was with McKinnion in the vehicle at the time.

“In plain view on the center console of the vehicle was a loaded 9mm handgun,” the DOJ said.

McKinnion stepped out of the vehicle with a backpack “tangled in his feet.” According to the DOJ, 41.85 grams of cocaine and just under seven grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, plastic bags and an undisclosed amount of marijuana were found in the backpack. State troopers also saw this backpack at the motel while they executed the search warrant.

According to the DOJ, state troopers found a loaded 9mm handgun under Vaughan’s seat, and in the seat itself, they found a loose 9mm hollow-point round. When state troopers searched Vaughan, they found .35 grams of a mixture of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl and .76 grams of cocaine in his pockets.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Daily News

These events resulted in the brothers’ most recent convictions. For McKinnon, he pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. For Vaughan, he was sentenced for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.