Teenager Sentenced to Dozen Years in Prison for Firearm Violation
KTVT-TV reported on August 19, 2020, that a 19-year-old McKinney, Texas man was sentenced for federal firearms violations after pleading guilty in June to possession of a firearm by a drug user and “possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.” A judge sentenced him to a total of 12 years in federal prison.
According to information presented in court in March 2019, the man met four other men in a van in Anna, Texas, intending to sell them approximately 14 grams of marijuana. The men began assaulting the man in an attempt to rob him of the marijuana instead of paying for it.
The man, armed with a pistol, managed to escape from the van and fired three shots into the van as it drove away. One of the men inside the van, a 16-year-old man, was struck by the gunfire and died.
Dallas man pleads guilty to charges in connection with a hoax bomb
Federal cases have remained busy in the Northern District of Texas. On October 22, 2020, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas reported that a Dallas man pleaded guilty to charges in connection with placing a hoax bomb on a Dallas railroad track.
According to court documents, during the early morning hours of December 21, 2018, the man admitted to placing a device on the Kansas City Rail Line railroad tracks in Dallas. A railroad conductor noted a red and green flashing LED light in the middle of the tracks while operating on the railroad. The conductor observed what appeared to be a box wrapped in electrical tape with a nine-volt battery attached to the side of the device.
The Dallas Police Department Bomb Squad responded to the scene to assess the device. Upon examination, law enforcement authorities determined that the box, placed by the man, appeared to resemble an improvised explosive device (IED). As a result, officers rendered the device safe.
Law enforcement submitted the remaining parts of the device to the FBI for latent print examination. Through the course of that examination, the man’s fingerprints were recovered.
The man now faces up to five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has been set for March 5, 2021.
Man of Lubbock, TX pleads guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas reported on October 7, 2020, that the man who sold the AR-15 used to gun down 32 people in Midland and Odessa, Texas last year has pleaded guilty to a gun crime. A 45-year-old man of Lubbock, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.
The man admitted he sold Midland Odessa shooter Seth Aaron Ator an AR-15-style rifle on October 8, 2016 – nearly three years before Mr. Ator used the gun to murder seven people and wound 25 more. Ator, who had been adjudicated “mentally defective” and was therefore legally prohibited from possessing firearms, first attempted to purchase a gun from a sporting goods store but was rejected after the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) flagged his mental status. He later circumvented the NICS system by purchasing a gun from the man, who elected not to run background checks on any of his buyers.
Lubbock Man Allegedly Plotting Mass Shooting Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Firearms Dealer
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas reported on October 2, 2020, that another Lubbock man who allegedly plotted a mass shooting pleaded guilty to making false statements to a federally-licensed firearms dealer. The man told his grandmother he had recently purchased an AK-47 rifle and planned to “shoot up” a local hotel and then commit suicide by cop. Sensing he was both homicidal and suicidal, she convinced him to allow her to bring him to a local hospital instead.
The man gave officers consent to search the room he had rented at the hotel, where officers found an AK-47 rifle, seventeen magazines loaded with ammunition, multiple knives, a black trench coat, black tactical pants, a black t-shirt that read “Let ‘Em Come,” and black tactical gloves with the fingers cut off. The man told officers he had laid out his weapons on the bed so that law enforcement could take custody of them.
NDTX Round-Up: December 4-10
During the week of December 4-10, a 61-year-old man was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Hydrocodone. He met a confidential government source to arrange a transaction of Hydrocodone. Two days later, the man sold the government source 1,000 pills of suspected Hydrocodone in exchange for U.S. currency.
A 36-year-old man pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Dallas Police Officers observed the man at a drug house conducting what officers believed were drug transactions. Officers obtained a search warrant for the residence. While executing the search warrant, officers found the man in the residence running down the hallway into the bathroom with a firearm and suspected cocaine in his hands. Officers recovered powdered cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, assorted pills, and a firearm at the residence. The man faces up to life in federal prison for his crimes.
A 50-year-old man was sentenced to 150 months for receipt of child pornography. The man admitted to downloading and possessing thousands of files of child pornography on his laptop. Law enforcement conducted a forensic analysis of Kerr’s laptop and external hard drive and discovered 24,000 images and 1,000 videos depicting sexually explicit conduct and the lewd and lascivious exhibition of minors.
A 37-year-old man was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Undercover agents contacted a Mexico-based methamphetamine drug dealer who agreed to sell one kilogram of methamphetamine. The man delivered one kilogram of methamphetamine to undercover agents in exchange for U.S. currency. The man admitted that the methamphetamine he sold originated from Mexico. He also indicated that he distributed 3.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in Dallas and one kilogram in Oklahoma.
A 35-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. In September 2019, the man possessed approximately 100 grams of cocaine which he intended to distribute.
Find a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Collin County | Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy
Weapons offenses like the crime mentioned in the story of the 19-year-old sentenced to federal prison are extremely alarming. Being charged with a weapons crime can be incredibly difficult for a person to deal with, as gun possession in many cases feels like an aspect that cannot be denied.
It can be even more distressing when gun crimes trigger federal charges. While federal crimes largely relate to major drug offenses and fraud crimes, there are certain weapons offenses that can also lead to federal charges.
Federal cases do not operate in the same way as the standard Texas criminal process. One big difference will be the involvement of a grand jury or a group of citizens that decides whether the government has enough evidence to file a case against you at trial.
Grand jury proceedings are typically private, but an alleged offender has the right to testify at their hearings. Testifying at grand jury proceedings may only be appropriate in certain circumstances, so it is smart for a person to consult an experienced criminal defense attorney before doing so on their own.
Even weapon and drug charges filed in state courts in Texas can carry serious penalties for alleged offenders. Whether you are dealing with state or federal charges, you will want to be sure that you have an attorney who can conduct their own investigation into the incident that led to your arrest so they can use all of the available evidence in your defense.
Find a Weapons / Firearm Defense Lawyer | Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy
If you were arrested for any kind of gun crime in Grand Prairie, Fort Worth, Arlington, or a surrounding area of Tarrant County, you should not wait to seek legal representation. The Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy is ready and able to defend you against all kinds of weapons charges.
Our firm is dedicated to helping people achieve the most favorable outcomes in their cases. Call (469) 304-3422 or contact us online to have us review your case and really discuss everything you are dealing with during a free consultation.