Omar R. Pouncy, 38, of Flint, pleaded guilty to suborning perjury during the second week of his federal trial on several witness tampering and perjury charges, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced on Apr. 10.
The case is significant as it involves attempts to undermine the integrity of the judicial process through false testimony and witness tampering.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Kay Behm accepted Pouncy’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2026. Pouncy faces up to five years in federal prison for his actions.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Pouncy was previously convicted in Genesee County in 2005 for multiple carjackings and armed robberies and received a lengthy prison sentence. After exhausting appeals in state court, he filed a federal habeas corpus petition in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 2013, claiming actual innocence and alleging that another man committed the crimes instead.
During a May 22, 2018 evidentiary hearing on these claims, Jaakawa McGruder testified falsely that he—not Pouncy—committed the carjackings. McGruder also falsely denied receiving any payment for his testimony when evidence later showed that Pouncy paid him $10,000 for testifying. The scheme came to light after Michigan Department of Corrections employees found two cell phones used by Pouncy inside prison; text messages revealed that he coached McGruder on what to say and directed others to ensure payment was made.
McGruder and another individual who assisted were previously convicted for their roles in this scheme.
“This violent criminal lied his way back into our community. He endangered the public and directly attacked our justice system. But we uncovered his perjury scheme. And now the same courts he undermined will serve him justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
“Attempting to manipulate the justice system by orchestrating false testimony is a serious crime, and those who engage in schemes to obstruct the truth will be held accountable,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
The investigation was conducted by special agents from FBI’s Flint Resident Agency along with officials from Michigan Department of Corrections; Assistant United States Attorneys Jules DePorre and Ann Nee prosecuted the case.
