Spokane Man Sentenced to Over 19 Years for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm as an Armed Career Criminal and for Violating His Court Supervision

Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Timothy Binford of Spokane, Washington was sentenced in Federal court to over 19 years. Binford was charged with being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was found guilty by a jury following a trial in February, 2014. At the time of the firearm offense, Binford was on court supervision stemming from a prior bank robbery conviction.

United States District Court Chief Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Binford to a 211-month term of imprisonment and a 5-year term of court supervision following release from federal prison. The Judge also imposed a 24 month consecutive sentence because Binford violated the court’s previously-imposed conditions of releases. Binford has been in custody since his arrest in September, 2014.

According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, a Spokane County Sheriff’s Detective arrested Binford on an unrelated matter in September, 2014. At the time of his arrest, Binford was in possession of a sports bag containing a Lorcin Model L22 .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The firearm was concealed in a pair of gloves. The bag also contained blank .22 caliber ammunition, two zippered bags containing syringes and plastic bindles containing methamphetamine residue, a digital scale, a hand-weapon fashioned from a circular saw blade, a collapsible metal baton, handcuffs, and a skull facemask. Binford was also in possession of a credit card and debit cards belonging to other people. As a previously convicted felon, Binford was prohibited by federal law from possessing any firearms or ammunition that had previously traveled in interstate commerce. Evidence showed that the Lorcin pistol Binford possessed Binford had been manufactured in Mira Loma, California, and had traveled in interstate commerce at some time prior to Binford’s arrest. Binford sentence was enhanced based on his criminal history, which history included three prior felony convictions for violent offenses. ,

Binford, who has been convicted of multiple felony offenses, was subject to court supervision at the time of his arrest. This supervision stemmed from an armed bank robbery conviction for which he had been sentenced to 188 months in prison. Binford had been release from prison on January 10, 2014, and was on court supervision at the time that he possessed the firearm

Michael C. Ormsby said, “The sentence imposed in this case not only reflects the seriousness of keeping firearms out of the hands of previously-convicted felons, but the importance of complying with court-ordered conditions of supervision. This case is yet another example of the commitment of the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute aggressively firearms-related cases in the Eastern District of Washington.”

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Timothy J. Ohms, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.